The Tolling Bell
by Razvanor
Summary: Shinta signed up for indentured servitude to get on an unspecified colony world. The lucky servant owner? Kaoru of course. This is set really far in the future and really far in the past. It’s probably my favorite I’ve written. (tweaked storyline)
1. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 1

Standard disclaimers Apply. I do not own Kenshin, Wastuki does, yadda yadda yadda.

Ok, on with the story.

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The Tolling Bell 

Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; **And therefore never send to know for whom the bell**

**tolls; It tolls for thee.** -John Donne, poet (1573-1631)

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Southern Florida 

"Grandpa!"

The delighted squeal of a seven-year-old girl rocked the small bungalow by the beach. A graying old man raised a bushy eyebrow as a small storm consisting of dark brown hair in pigtails and a skirt ran into the room like a juggernaut. Stopping momentarily at the doorway, the little girl scanned the room for her grandfather. She spotted him sitting near the window, staring out to sea. He turned to her, his grey hair glistening in the morning sun.

"Angela, a good morning to you. And what do I owe this unexpected visit to?"

Angela giggled. Walking to her grandfather, she put a finger to her rosy lips. A secretive smile spread across her face. Looking around, she brought her mouth to the old man's ear, as if she were about to divulge a great secret.

"I came to hear a story. Momma said I could come and visit."

She giggled again. Sweeping the little girl into his lap, the old man chuckled at her glee.

"So, you want to hear a story, eh? Well, stories aren't just thrown away to whoever comes a-calling to my door. Now, what is the payment then, little one?"

Angela gave her grandfather a quick peck on the cheek and then sat back to listen. The man chuckled and launched into the story.

"It all began a very, very long time ago..."

**1430, The Land of the Rising Sun**

Shinta wandered aimlessly through the wilderness of northern Japan. He was hungry. The last time he had eaten was over five days ago. He clutched his stomach and groaned softly as the hunger pangs slammed into him with enormous intensity. Tearing a bit of leather from his shoe, he shoved it into his mouth and chewed, hoping to relieve his hunger to a lower degree. Sometimes, the life of a wanderer was horrible, almost as often as it was exhilarating. The road had always called to him, to travel and explore. To him, the road was freedom; it would always mean the same to him.

But at that particular moment, it was a questionable lifestyle. Sitting down next to a gurgling stream in a small clearing, he took a small wooden dipper and helped himself to nature's liquid gift. After slurping it greedily, he leaned against a tree and thought of nothing in particular. Shinta was now twenty-eight, and after nearly twelve years of meandering without a cause on the land of his birth, he still felt as if there was more to see. Leaving home at the age of sixteen, he took more with him than provisions. The ancient bloodline of swordsmen coursed through his veins. Countless years ago, an ancestor had developed a sword style, which was unmatchable by any other style. However, it remained nameless. And so it would remain, as a reminder of the ancient genius of old.

The late afternoon sun found its way to the redheaded man lying underneath the foliage of the ancient trees that made up the forest. Shinta stirred and sat up, blinking in the sunlight. He yawned and stretched. Suddenly, he tensed, his hand going to his sword hilt.

"No, no, young man. Do not worry, I mean no one any harm."

Shinta looked down at the smaller and younger boy at his side. The boy had dark black hair coupled with intense black eyes shining with cheerfulness. A broad scimitar sat securely strapped to his back. He did not look of Japanese origin. He relaxed. Bending down to the boy's eyelevel, he chuckled. He couldn't be more than thirteen years of age and he was calling Shinta a "young man".

"Young man? And exactly how old are you? My name is Himura Shinta." He paused to look at the boy. "I am flattered that you think I am young, though."

The boy just smiled and patted Shinta's head.

"If you knew how old I was, then you would surely agree that you should be called a young man, Sir Shinta."

"And how old are you, young sir", asked Shinta, starting to weary of the "young man" business.

The young boy shook his head, smiling ruefully, his hair swinging back and forth on his head.

"You would not believe me if I told you."

Shinta laughed, which quickly turned into a wince as another hunger pang struck. Clutching his stomach, he smiled sheepishly at the boy.

"I'm sorry to ask, but would you have any spare food that you would be willing to share with a poor and hungry traveler."

The boy smiled brightly. "Of course. Oh, forgive me for I failed to introduce myself. I am called Ushcahar. I come from the distant sands of the Sahara desert. I have settled here in a temporary living area. Please, follow me."

The Sahara? Shinta had no idea what the Sahara was, but it was probably a desert, judging from the boy's heavily tanned skin and his mentioning of sand. Shinta had never bothered learning of much of the other lands beyond his country. After all, Japan was closed off to them. It was not any of his business. Suddenly, the boy's voice rent across his thoughts.

"So, you are skilled in the ways of the sword. I did not fail to notice the swordsmen's fluid motions, quick reactions, and reading eyes. I also am quite skilled as a swordsman."

Shinta nodded. "Yes, very perceptive."

"Ah, there is my house. Come, you shall rest within my company tonight. It is impolite to refuse where I come from."

The house was of simple, but sturdy construction. In a small clearing, the house sat in the center of a cleared patch of ground. Wooden poles were driven deep into the ground and a platform was built three feet above the ground, using the poles as support. The walls were thick sticks running vertically from the ceiling to the platform. Animal skins were stitched together and stretched over the walls, creating a sort of water repellant for when it rained.

"Your house is of unusual structure. Tell me, do they build these houses where you come from?"

"Nay good sir, it is of India in origin. The raised design kept the floors dry in case of flooding. But now it is the time to eat. I left some food preparing over the fire."

With that, he hurried inside. Shinta quickly followed after him, the smell of miso soup and some other food he could not identify by smell wafted around him like a seductive invisible hand. Shinta grinned. Tonight he would eat like a king. Walking into the one room house, he took stock of his surroundings. There was a futon rolled up in a corner, a small rustic cabinet, and a kettle in the middle of the room, the warm glow of fire emanating out of it top. A small pot sat boiling above the fire. There was precious little else, however.

"Do you live alone, my friend?"

Ushcahar simply nodded, his eyes flickering for a moment before turning his attention to the fire-bearing kettle.

"I travel far too much to even build a permanent dwelling. So how then am I to marry or bring a friend? Also, friends and spouse alike die all too quickly, like flowers that bloom for a short while and then wither away. No, I best travel alone. My only companion is my faithful sword."

Shinta gave the boy a quizzical look. How could such a youth speak of death and companionship as he did? He decided to wait and see. The food was a simple affair. Miso soup and some strange pulled and dried meat made the meal, but it was incredibly satisfying to the half-starved wanderer. Finishing the meal, the two travelers relaxed and shared stories. Shinta told his and waited eagerly for the young man to divulge to him his past. The young man sighed and leaned back, as if trying to remember.

"Sir Shinta, I realize that some of the story that I will narrate will sound as credible as a plum seed growing to be an apple tree. But tis' all true, I swear upon it with my honor. A very long time ago, an ancestor of mine was standing in the doorway of his house, watching the nighttime sky. Suddenly, a burst of blue light ignited the sky. It seemed that a star was falling from the very heavens. He felt a tremor as the star impacted the sands and it goes without saying that he very quickly set out to find the star. He searched for a day and a night, and finally found it in a large hole. The star was in actuality a bright gem, an unearthly blue light glowing from within. My ancestor was no fool. The village was suffering from a great famine caused by drought and he knew he could buy food for his family. He retrieved it from the hole and held it up to look at it. As if by some magic, it started to sink into his skin. He found that no matter what he did, he could not stop his skin from absorbing it. He walked into the village the next day downcast, as now he could not sell the gem." Ushcahar took a sip of tea, while Shinta fought back a sigh of impatience. Ushcahar cleared his throat and continued

"The afternoon of his return, an enormous storm swept through the area, wetting the withered farmlands. Every day afterward, it drizzled slightly, contributing to the growth of the produce. His fortune had changed immediately after he had found the gem and he continued to receive blessings that could be accounted as coincidences. He became a very rich man. After many years, however, he found that he had not aged a single day. His wife had long since become old and feeble. Even his sons and daughters seemed to grow older than he. After his wife and offspring had died, he realized that he had become weary of life. No sooner had he come to that conclusion, then the gem leaked out of him and solidified on the ground as a whole gem. He picked it up and he knew he did not want it any more. He gave it one of his grandsons, my father, but my father had seen what had happened and wisely denied. However, he offered the choice to us, his children. I, being foolish and inexperienced, quickly took the gem, the thought of immortality appealing to me immensely. My ancestor died within the week." Ushcahar's face fell. "He had aged in a week as much as a normal man would age in eight decades. We lay him to his much deserved rest, after which I left to find my own fortune in the world."

"My friend, that is quite a story," Shinta said slowly. "But I find it hard to believe. What if your great grandfather had lived an unusually long life? It is a possibility. What proof is there that the gem offers eternal life?"

Ushcahar looked at him gravely.

"I am positive it does. This story took place nigh two millennia ago."

Shinta shook his head at the unbelievable story. The boy either spoke the truth, or he was perhaps the greatest liar ever to walk the earth. He had dictated the story with the utmost gravity. However, there was no way to tell without proof.

Ushcahar smiled. "I see that you still have trouble in believing me. It is understandable, my friend. But for now, we shall rest. I was hoping to wake up early for a training session."

Shinta laid back on the floor and immediately fell asleep.

Ushcahar sat down and watched as a blue glow overtook his body. A small tendril of light stretched away from him, drifting over the sleeping man on the far side of the room. It wrapped around his body and then suddenly disappeared. Ushcahar noted this in dull satisfaction.

"Good night to thee, my friend. May you be wise and reject my offer."

With that, he settled down and fell asleep.

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Hmm, what do you think? I wrote this a while ago. A looongg while ago. 

Well, please review. Be brutally honest. I want my work to stand out. As for the rest of the story, I'll probably write it anyway. It's that much fun.

-Razvanor


	2. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 2

Chapter two is up. Yeah, it's boring, but it's a necessary part of the story. Get over it.

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**Chapter 2.**

Shinta awoke with a start. Looking around wildly, he recognized where he was and quickly calmed down.

"Is there a problem, my friend?" Ushcahar's light voice called from near the fire. The smell of frying meat filled the entire structure.

Sniffing appreciatively, Shinta went to sit next to his strange new friend. Glancing outside, he noticed a small deer, its head shorn cleanly from its shoulders. He glanced at the cooking meat and shrugged mentally. "Hmm? Oh, I simply had a disturbing dream. It was nothing."

Ushcahar looked up from his cooking and stared at Shinta gravely. "My friend, dreams rarely mean nothing, if my experiences have taught me anything." He poked the meat lightly, testing it. "Dreams are shades of the past, troubles of the present, or preludes of things that the sun has yet to shine upon. What did you dream of?" He stared at Shinta levelly.

Shinta stared at the wall, as if seeing past it and beyond. "I dreamed of war, bloodshed, and men doing horrible things to other men." He sighed and looked at his feet. The meat sizzled slightly. "I dreamed of other horrors and of things I cannot explain."

Ushcahar sighed and pulled the meat away from the fire. "You seem very disturbed by this. Obviously, your blade has never tasted man's flesh. Unfortunately, it will, if your dreams are to be believed." He blew out a long breath. "Your life has not and will not be an easy one."

Shinta scowled at the boy. "I do not believe in war and I shall never join one. You assume much because of a simple dream."

Ushcahar sighed and changed the subject quickly. "Shinta, I have grown very weary of life. I have seen more, read more, thought more, and loved more than any single man on this vibrant world. I do not wish to travel anymore." He paused, looking at the swordsman next to him. "Shinta, what would you do with eternal life?"

Shinta smiled lightly. "Why, I would learn all there is to learn. I would see all there is to see. I would sail the seas. I would eat foods from every country of the world. I would climb the highest mountain and swim through the lowest ocean. I would better the world with my knowledge and make sure what my dreams portrayed would never come to pass." He grinned at these thoughts.

Ushcahar nodded. "Admirable. Now, what would you do if I said that I can offer you this chance?"

Shinta grinned at the tan boy. "I would name you a brother."

Ushcahar nodded again. "Ah, I have not had a brother for nearly two thousand years." He pulled the meat from the pan, now sufficiently cool and handed it to Shinta. "Come my friend, eat."

Shinta accepted the meat. "I cannot say I believe you, but you make a wonderful story teller."

Ushcahar ignored the comment. "Last night, in my dreams, I heard a tolling bell. It called out to me, telling me that my time in the earthly realm has expired. I felt as if I should have a successor, and you are possibly the most worthy of all I have met. To think, here in a distant land, hundreds of days of travel away from my native land, that I would find you. The only problem is, you need to willingly accept." He looked at Shinta expectantly.

Shinta's eyes twinkled in amusement. "If it were true, I would accept with all my heart. Man would indeed benefit from me."

Suddenly, the small boy began to convulsed as blue light ruptured from his body. Slowly, a sapphire liquid began to bleed from his pores as his body continued to buck. The liquid formed a small puddle around the boy. Shinta looked on in fascinated horror until Ushcahar's form flopped back to the ground. The liquid had solidified into a large gem as both men watched.

Ushcahar grinned weakly and lifted himself up. "Now, Shinta, you have promised to take the jewel. My body will not accept it any longer." Ushcahar's hair seemed slightly longer, his voice a little deeper. Shinta carefully grasped the jewel. Immediately, it began to dissolve into his skin. He looked up at the Arabian man, who seemed to become older and older.

"Ushcahar, you are dying," Shinta managed to gasp.

"We all die." He patted Shinta on the back and turned to walk out the door. "It was nice meeting you, Shinta." He bowed and stepped out into the sunlight.

Shinta watched him walk away. His vision suddenly wavered. His consciousness fled from him quickly as his body seemed to tingle.

Ushcahar sighed as he heard the soft thud. Shinta would awaken in a few hours. Then his life would truly begin. Ushcahar pulled out his scimitar. "Well, old friend, it was quite a journey, no? Come, I want to see the sun set over the ocean one last time. I always loved the sea." In the back of his mind, a bell tolled loudly.

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This is actually based on a book by Brian Jacques. It's about a kid who's forced to work on the Flying Dutchman. God cursed the Dutchman and her crew, but gave the boy eternal life and the ability to relay thoughts with his dog. Very well written.

-Razvanor


	3. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 3

Ch. 3. It gets a bit more interesting. You'll also notice Shinta (Kenshin) doesn't own a Japanese sword anymore. I really like messing with story lines.

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**Chapter 3.**

_January 27, 3408,_

_Dear Diary, _

_Today was a very busy day. I had to go to my classes, go to the bank, get groceries, teach at the training hall, and so much more. Actually, it was pretty boring. _

_One really exciting thing did happened. A BLUEBIRD LANDED ON MY WINDOW SILL. Can you believe that? It's been years since I've seen one. There were a lot of them on Earth, but here, I don't think the atmosphere is too good for them. But nevertheless, one of them was right there, chirping happily._

_A bit more of unusual news. My dad (Boohoo, I miss him) got me an indentured servant. Apparently, some person who didn't have enough money to get to this colony decided that servitude would have to do. Poor little servant, she has no idea what's in store for her. Sigh, yes, I know that confirms what daddy said about my being a "little devil in disguise". Oh well, at least I won't have to do my own laundry any more. She'll be here today._

_Well, I guess I'll just do some bills now. Daddy likes it when I'm all organized and stuff. Eh, whatever._

_-Kamiya Kaoru _

Kaoru sighed and turned off the holo-screen. Looking out the window, she glanced at the imperial mountains jutting out at the sky, far in the distance. She had gotten so used to them that she barely noticed them anymore. Before the mountains came the foothills, then the large forest, and finally, a long grass field that ran almost to her small house. This was one of the few planets that hadn't needed major modifications to its atmosphere and soil, but the gravity was still slightly stronger than it had been on Earth. Scientists had transplanted many plants and animals that they knew would survive. Now, the animals had bred brand-new species because of inter-mating with the native wildlife. Those were quite a sight to see.

As for the city, it was owned by the United States Empire. The government was fair, but a bit worried that its colonies were getting along just fine without it. For the meantime, they would have to content themselves with imports and exports.

Kaoru lived on the very outskirts of the city, in a small, privately own house. Her father was an ambassador for the United States, which basically meant he was gone for months at a time. Once, she hadn't seen him for nearly one and a half years. Kaoru went to school during the morning hours and taught basic weaponry at a local military camp. The pay was good, but she mostly lived off what her father gave her.

A knock on her front door forced Kaoru to tear her eyes away from her bills. Getting up quickly, she tapped a small button. A small screen lit up in the corner of the room, showing a head of red-hair waiting at her front door to answer. The servant was here.

Grinning wickedly, Kaoru walked to the door and opened it slowly. Deep, violet eyes stared at her as she opened the door fully. She gasped slightly when she noticed that the servant was a he, and not a she, as Kaoru had expected. The servant held up a piece of paper, which Kaoru glanced at quickly.

"Good afternoon, Miss." The man spoke slowly, his voice purposefully and friendly. "I was told to come to this address. Is this the home of Kamiya Kaoru?"

Kaoru nodded. "But there must be some mistake," sputtered a very surprised Kaoru. "I thought you would be a girl."

The man smiled, his eyes happy and light. "Well, I could be passed off as one, if you so wish, Kaoru-dono." Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle at his good-nature. She stepped to one side and allowed him to come inside. He was only carrying a small satchel and a...suddenly, she noticed something. "Uh, is that a sword?" she asked apprehensively

The red-head nodded, his low ponytail swinging lightly. Looking down at the large hilted sword in a leather sheathe, he drew it out slowly. It was an Irish broad-bladed, double-edged long sword, heavily nicked and scratched. The blade had a slight rosy tint to it. Its hilt was simple and its pommel held a small red stone.

"This is just an antique I could not bear to part with. The edges are quite dull, so don't worry." He sheathed it with a quick flick of his wrist. Holding out his hand, he smiled brightly. "Well, Kaoru-dono, I'm afraid I haven't introduced myself. I am Himura Shinta."

Kaoru shook the pro-offered hand. "Um, well, it's nice to meet you." She looked him straight in the eye. "I expect excellent and immediate care in this house. No lolly-gaggin' and no going outside the rules..." She let her voice trail off as she stared at his eyes. They were practically glowing with friendliness, kindness, and...something else. Then she saw it. A flash of troubled wisdom.

Kaoru released his hand and smiled. "Eh, so, how old are you Mister Himura?"

Shinta's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Well, my papers say that I am twenty-eight. I guess I'll just trust the government on that."

Kaoru laughed. "You don't look a day over twenty-three."

"That's very flattering, Kaoru-dono."

"What does that mean?" said Kaoru suddenly. Shinta looked at her quizzically. "You know, you say 'dono' after my name. What does that mean?"

Shinta sighed. "Forgive me, Kaoru-dono. I assumed you were Japanese because of your name. 'Dono' means 'Miss'. Unless, of course, you are a 'Missus'."

Kaoru laughed. "Me, no, I'm not married." She paused. "I am Japanese, but I don't speak it." She looked at his satchel. "Don't you have anything else?" Shinta shook his head. "Well, let me show you to your room."

Following her up a flight of stairs, Shinta was led to a room at the end of a corridor. It was not very big, nor was it small. The furniture was sparse, including a bed, a small wooden table, a shelf full of books that looked as if they hadn't been touched in years, and a small holo-screen in the corner. Shinta set his satchel down on the bed and smiled. "This will do very nicely, Kaoru-dono. Thank you."

"Eh, it's not much, but I'm glad you like it." Kaoru smiled warmly. "I'm sure you'll feel right at home here." Shinta didn't reply but smiled. He seemed tired.

As she left the room, she heard him mumble to himself. "Heh, home. There is no such luxury for me." He mumbled something more in Japanese before light snoring could be heard. Kaoru sighed, all feelings of making the servant's life miserable vanishing. She went to her room to finish the bills.

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Hmm, do you want more? Well, whether or not you like it, you'll get it. I already finished chapter four. You'll be seeing more futuristic stuff in that chapter (sort of).

Tell me what you think. And don't just say "It rocks" or "It sucks". Give me a reason. I can't work off of hollow compliments and insults.


	4. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 4

And, Chapter four is a go. By the way, I appreciate the reviews. On with the (albiet twisted) story.

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**Chapter 4.**

Kaoru awoke the next morning to the smell of freshly brewed tea. Kicking her covers off, she put on her bright yellow slippers. She grimaced at them. "I really hate these slippers," she said sourly. Leave it to her stepmother to give her something so gaudy. She glanced at her clock. Nearly seven. She groaned. That meant she had only slept six hours last night. Stupid bills.

She grumbled as she walked into the kitchen. A pot full of tea was set on the table, along with some rice balls. She lifted an eyebrow. Who ate rice for breakfast?

"Kaoru-dono, you're awake." Kaoru nearly screamed. _"What's a guy doing in my...ugh, I'm slow this morning."_ Shinta walked over to the tea. "I have prepared breakfast. I hope you're hungry."

"Um, yeah, I am," Kaoru said, scratching her sleep tousled hair. "I usually drink coffee though."

Shinta shook his head. "Coffee is not as good as tea." He glanced at her. "My, my, someone slept rather well. You have sleep marks running all over your face."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Uh, yeah, I was really tired." She glowered at him as she sat down and picked up a rice ball. "You really should just mind your own business."

Shinta laughed. "Now what fun would that be?" Kaoru growled but let it go. She watched the strange man walk around the kitchen, his movement fluid and precise. And his hair! Never had she seen hair like that before. She thought of her own hair and silently wished she could have hair like her servant's. Maybe people would notice her more if she did.

"So, Kaoru-dono, what do you do for a living?" His question brought her out of her thoughts. "Eh, I really just mooch off of my father. I do teach some martial arts down at the military camp, though. I've always been a bit of a tomboy."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with doing something you like. I myself am a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, as it were. Never did find something that quite suited me." "_Except one thing."_ He shook the thought off.

"So, why did you come to this colony? Anything you have going for ya here?"

Shinta poured himself some tea and spoke without looking at her. "No, not really. I just wanted to see what's up here, what makes it so different from Earth, Mars, Venus, and all the other colonies."

"And that's worth placing yourself in indentured servitude for two years?" Kaoru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I believe it was. For instance, never have I seen such mountains anywhere else." He pointed out the window, indicating the imperial pink-green hued mountains in the distance. "I mean, look at those unusual colors and grand height. It is a site worth all the money I have." He grinned and turned back to his tea. Kaoru noticed a small, red scar with a rounded tip on Shinta's cheek with some amusement.

Kaoru shrugged. "Yeah, but after a year, you forget all about them."

Shinta held up a finger. "Ah, but in two years, you might notice them again." He finished cooking the rice and sat down at the table to eat. He sipped his tea and glanced at Kaoru, who was staring at him intently.

She smirked. "You know, you're a very strange man." Shinta merely sipped his tea and looked at her. "I bet you get that a lot. Your service papers say your Japanese-Earth origin. How's it like there."

Shinta shrugged. "Much like everywhere else, except unique in its own way. People are people, no matter where you go, that's all they are. No man is greater than the other, no matter how much authority or money one possesses."

"Ya could've been a philosopher. You definitely sound like one." Kaoru reached for another rice ball, appreciating its subtle flavor. Her cooking always seemed to want to make sure the smoke detector worked. She sighed mentally. Then, thinking of the bills, she groaned. "Shinta, I feel like shopping today. You wanna join me?"

"I don't know. I saw a large pile of laundry that seemed in need of a desperate wash." He glanced in the direction of the laundry room. "But, I suppose I should keep you company."

Kaoru grinned. "Great, we'll buy you some new clothes."

Shinta looked down at himself. "What's wrong with the ones I have on?" He had a on a pair of jeans, a large buckled belt, and a simple once-red-now-pinkish long-sleeved shirt. They were a little stained and a little ragged, but they served their purpose.

"You look like a hobo, that's what's wrong with them. Have you no eyes, man?" She grabbed some keys off of a hook on the wall. "Come on. We'll get some food while we're out."

Instead of taking Kaoru's sleek air car, Shinta managed to convince her that walking was best. As they browsed the stores, Kaoru managed to amass a large amount of bags in just a few hours, which she forced Shinta to carry. As Kaoru was admiring a pair of shoes behind a window, a small kid suddenly grabbed her purse.

"Hey," yelled a rather infuriated Kaoru. Depositing the bags onto the ground, Shinta calmly selected a bottle of water from one of them and flung it into the air. The water hit the kid square on the head, causing him to pause and rub the now sore spot. Shinta swiftly closed the gap between them and took the purse from him. By now, people were beginning to clap at the red-head's heroic deeds. He glared at them all, and what little applause there was died away. As soon as they stopped looking, Shinta pulled his very skinny wallet out of his pants and threw it to the surprised pickpocket. "That was unwise, my friend. Thievery is strictly punished around here."

The boy stared in surprise at the wallet before tossing it back to the strange man. "What do you know? I've got the fingers of a magician and the skill of a professional robber. Where do you get off telling me what to do and giving me pity money?"

Shinta shrugged. "Well, I just assumed you needed the money to live. Otherwise, I doubt that you would be stealing." The young boy scowled, irritated at the short girly-man. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled. He turned around quickly and started heading the other way.

"Oy," Kaoru said as she retrieved her purse from Shinta. "That was quite a throw." Shinta ignored her and put a hand on the retreating boy's shoulder. "Would you like to join me and Kaoru-dono for something to eat?"

The boy looked startled then shrugged. "Eh, why not. I'm not such a dope as to pass up free food. Where we eating?"

Shinta grinned. "I saw a pleasant little Italian place just a little that way." He turned to Kaoru. "Would that be acceptable, Kaoru-dono? I'll even pay for it. I do have a little money."

"Um, sure, whatever you want to do."

"Wonderful. By the way, what's your name, kid?" Shinta turned to the boy.

"I'm Yahiko and I'm not a kid."

Kaoru smirked. "Kid, you have a lot of spunk, dontcha? Where do you live?" She nudged him lightly. "Wherever I want to," said Yahiko defiantly. "What do you care, you hag."

Kaoru rapped him on the head with her knuckles. "Hag? I may not be the prettiest, but I am _not _a hag." Yahiko rubbed his head ruefully, muttering darkly to himself. Shinta smiled at their antics, carefully noting the pair of eyes observing them.

Several stories above them, a tall, broad-shouldered man with unruly brown hair watched the trio closely. "I see your target, sir."

An implant in his skull swiftly brought a reply to his inner ear. "Good, gather data. Make sure you don't screw up." The implant's telephone shut down. The man scowled and blinked twice, activating his retinal implants.

"Scan and save," he intoned to his implant. The implant beeped quietly as it focused on Shinta through the implants and scanned his image. "Zoom, x-ray scan, save." The implant did as it was told. Seconds later, an image of Shinta's bone structure appeared in his line of sight. Glancing at the image with a practiced eye, the man whistled softly. Picking up a small stone, he glanced down at the red-head. "Time for a little experiment. Implant, motion camera." A small red "rec" sign appeared in the corner of his vision.

Shinta's body tensed as he sensed the stone speed toward his head before willing himself to relax. _Don't want to reveal much to our vigilant spy._ The stone struck his head with incredible force, raising a large bump on his skull. "Oro," Shinta said softly, more out of habit then anything else.

The man sighed and turned his implant's phone on. "I'm sending you the data. You can analyze it yourself."

"No, you analyze it. You will be attacking. We will transfer you the money when I have his head hanging over my fireplace. Again, don't screw this up, Sano."

Sano nearly growled again. "Yes, sir. Himura Shinta is a dead man walking." He turned the implant off and watched as the trio walked into a restaurant.

* * *

And that's that. I'm working on Chapter five, so I can't promise a story update tomorrow. Can you tell I'm having fun with this?

-Ravanor


	5. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 5

This chapter may seem a little odd. Some blood and disturbing mental imagery. Happy reading.

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**Chapter 5. **

Yahiko burped loudly as the small group walked out of the restaurant. Kaoru scowled at him but said nothing. The planet's sun was slowly setting. Its dying rays painted the clouds in brilliant reds, oranges, and purples. Shinta sighed and stared up at the sky. "You know, Kaoru-dono, I never tire of seeing the sky." He spread his arms wide to the distant heavens. "When I was a child, it seemed as if the skies were as elusive as the wind." He looked at Kaoru, his eyes dancing. "My mother once said that the sky was God's canvas. She said that He took a celestial paintbrush and dipped it in the cosmos." He smiled at the memory.

Kaoru smiled as well. "It does look beautiful doesn't it?" Yahiko muttered something about 'sissy, girly-men'. He turned around and faced the two adults.

"Thanks for the dinner but I'm gonna get lost." He grinned disarmingly and ran off. Shinta calmly turned to Kaoru. "Kaoru-dono, please check your purse." Kaoru stared at him nonplussed but did it anyway. "What the...That little ingrate took my wallet." From the wide sleeves of her shirt, Kaoru pulled an ornate dirk (half sword, twice the size of a dagger). Shinta stared at it in shock. "Do you always carry around deadly knives half the size of your arm?"

"Pretty much," growled Kaoru. "I'll meet you at home." She took off after the small boy as fast as her legs would take her. Shinta sighed and turned to go the opposite direction.

Kaoru grinned wickedly as she spotted Yahiko's yellow shirt in an alley. He was still running. After running through a maze of back streets and alleys, he finally stopped in front of a cardboard box, which he promptly crawled in to. Kaoru skidded to a stop. _"Is this where he lives?"_ Just as she was about to step forward to reclaim her wallet, a large group of men came up from behind her.

"Well, 'ello there. Wot would a pretty little flower like yerself be doin' in the back ways? Lookin' fer fun, mayhap?" Kaoru gasped and held her dirk defensively. The men laughed. "Would ya lookit that. She's got a knife, she 'as." The men suddenly stepped closer. Kaoru back away slowly, still holding the knife up. Yahiko suddenly got up from the box. "Can't a guy get any rest around here?" he yelled loudly before noticing Kaoru. "What are you doing here, hag?" Looking up at the men, his eyes widened.

"Lookit, mates. The girl's got 'erself a lil boyfriend." The tallest man among them stepped forward. "I'll have a lot of fun wit you, I will." He grabbed Kaoru roughly. Instinctively, she slashed at him. He pulled away, his face covered in blood from a cut on his forehead. He touched it gingerly before pure rage clouded his countenance. Without warning, he pulled out a laser pistol and fired blindly at her. She groaned as a stray shot went through her leg. The acrid smell of blood and burned flesh slowly reached her nostrils.

"Hey," yelled Yahiko. "Don't hurt her. She only gave you a little nick. Griph, come on, put the gun down." Kaoru looked at the men, her vision blurring as a wave of nausea hit her. The tall one, Griph, knocked Yahiko out of the way, slamming him into a brick wall. He lost consciousness instantly. The remaining men chuckled as the man put the gun to Kaoru's forehead.

"Excuse me, but that is no way for a gentleman to treat a lady." Kaoru looked up to see Shinta lounging against the alley wall, his sword half out of the sheathe. It glinted duly in the afternoon sun.

Griph seemed to recover his pride and temper quickly. "And I'll listen to a girl-man because...?" He let the sentence trail, sarcastically awaiting a response. Shinta sighed and pushed himself off the wall. Pulling out the sword, he dropped into a formless stance. "You are wasting my time. I still have to go home and do the laundry. Can't very well do that if I'm here fighting you." His expression remained soft, almost jovial.

Griph nodded to his men, who surrounded him holding bats, knives, and the occasional chain. Shinta sighed. His image flickered slightly but otherwise remained perfectly still. Suddenly, the men fell, each clutching a different flesh wound. Griph's arrogant smirk quickly vanished. "What did you do to them?"

Shinta glanced at his blade, as if looking for something. "Eh, all I did was smack them up a little. I just swung my sword a little." He did an elaborately slow stroke with his sword. "The police will arrive shortly." As he spoke, the loud blaring of police patroller's air bikes sounded as they landed beside the thugs. Griph just watched in shock as the police read him his rights. Shinta walked over to Kaoru and helped her to her feet. "What just happened? What sword style was that?"

Shinta grinned as Yahiko blinked and got up. "That was a simple Eastern European style of broadblade combat. You basically swing the sword around. I saw the group as you ran off and went to find a payphone. Forgive me for not getting here earlier." Yahiko groaned and glanced at Kaoru. "You all right, hag?"

Kaoru glared at him fiercely. "Yahiko, why are you sleeping in a box? Don't you have anywhere better to go?"

Yahiko looked at the ground, his toe scuffing the pavement. "Not really, no." Kaoru's expression softened. "Don't tell me you ran away from your parents, kid, because I will personally see to it that they find you."

Yahiko sighed. "I wish I did run away," he mumbled. "They threw me out. Didn't want me, I guess. Couldn't stand the orphanage, so I get by out here."

Kaoru shook her head. "No, I won't allow you to stay out here. I've got some rooms I don't use. Come stay with us."

Shinta smiled softly to himself. His benefactor had a very big heart. Kaoru glanced up at him. "What? I can't just leave him here. Stop smiling."

"Yes, right away, Kaoru-dono," Shinta remarked airily, his smile refusing to budge. "Let's go get you fixed up."

A swift visit to Kaoru's personal doctor, Dr. Genzai, left Kaoru refreshed and able to walk again. The doctor warned her that the tissue in her leg would take a least another day to heal completely, but Kaoru didn't care. She had to teach a class tomorrow. Shinta and Yahiko decided to go watch her.

The military camp was nothing more than a small outpost on the edge of town. Young boys who wanted to join the army had to have at least one's year's training. Kaoru happened to be the only qualified instructor. Kaoru clapped her hands, quickly gaining the attention of her twenty-some students. "O.K. class, today we will learn a few extra judo moves before we begin our evaluation. Sergo, you're up first."

Shinta and Yahiko watched as Kaoru demonstrated a simple judo throw, before ordering her students to try and mimic it. "Wow," Yahiko said. "I wish I knew how to fight. That big guy tossed me like a sack of used holo-disks."

"Why don't you ask Kaoru to train you? She seems to be able to handle a blade fairly well." Shinta watched as yet another student went sailing. Yahiko snorted rudely. "I'd be too ashamed to ask a girl to teach me."

"Well, then it's a simple matter of pride. I will ask her for you." Shinta began to get up. Yahiko pulled him back down and scowled. "No, I'll ask her."

After the lesson, Kaoru blew out a breath and mopped her forehead with a towel. She noticed Yahiko watching her. "Whew, what is it, kid?" Yahiko muttered something to the floor. Kaoru looked at him quizzically. "What?"

"I said, will you teach me how to handle a blade?"

Kaoru chuckled. "Oh, is that it. Well, if you think you're up to it. Of course, you realize that I'll have to teach you more than just to handle a knife." Yahiko nodded. "And you do know that it'll be hard work. No backing out on me." Yahiko nodded again. "Good, I have a training room at home. We start tomorrow."

Since Kaoru's house wasn't that far away, they had walked. Now, night had fallen completely, nothing could be heard but an odd noise coming from the direction of the grassland. The planet's three moons stared down at them, each in a different phase. As they walked into Kaoru's yard, Shinta stopped and looked up at the tall man waiting silently, something massive wrapped in cloth thrown over his shoulder. The man grinned, his teeth flashing white in the moonlight.

"Hello," said the man in a gruff drawl. "My name is Sagara Sanosuke, and I'll be your assassin for tonight." He chuckled at his own joke and pulled the cloth binding off of a giant, metal axe. "This is my little friend 'Sekure Nenoracheeta'. It's Romanian for 'Wretched Axe'." **(The e in Sakure is said like the e in 'che'. The u is said like 'oo'.)**

The axe was massive. The blade itself was bigger than Shinta. Shinta, however, was unimpressed. "I do not wish to fight. There is a child and a young lady here."

"Suit yourself, but I'm not going to go hungry just because you don't want to fight." Turning to Kaoru and Yahiko, he shrugged almost apologetically. "Sorry I have to take away your little slave. You should probably cover your eyes." Kaoru stared at him angrily, while Yahiko was still amazed at how easily the strange man seemed to handle the enormous weapon. Sano shrugged again and swung it at Shinta with tremendous force. The weapon connected solidly. Shinta seemed to stick to the axe's blade before the momentum slammed him against the wall. Bones cracked and blood flowed as the impact literally shook the stone wall. Kaoru yelled in surprise. Yahiko stared in horror at the mangled corpse. He could see Shinta's body had been nearly cut in half. Yahiko suddenly felt very sick.

Sano sighed and growled softly. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was dead." He threw down the axe and kicked Shinta solidly in the head. "Get up, Man-cutter, I'm not that easily fooled."

"Have you no respect for the dead, you monster," Kaoru yelled, horror cracking her voice. Shinta suddenly sighed. Standing up, he carefully touched his ripped abdomen and cracked skull. Yahiko screamed something about ghosts while Kaoru simply fainted. "So, you've done some research, have you?" Shinta's body almost instantly healed, leaving only ragged scars and a ripped, bloody shirt. He looked at his clothes. "Good thing we went shopping today." He glanced up at Sano, who was hefting his axe. "Very well, then you must know my weaknesses as well. I shall finish this fight quickly. The laundry still needs washing."

Sano glanced over at Yahiko, who was slapping Kaoru to wake her up. "Yep, I do." He pointed the axe at Shinta's head. "A quick decapitation, am I right?" Shinta said nothing, but grinned. Sano readied for another swing. "That first one was just a bit of a test. This one won't miss." He swung powerfully, hoping to catch the small man off guard. However, Shinta wasn't there. He glanced around before hearing a sharp metallic ring. Shinta was crouching on Sano's axe, his sword firmly imbedded in the axe's blade. Sano stared in shock at the sword, half of it sticking out the other side of his axe. Shinta smiled calmly at the assassin and twisted his sword sharply. A single resonating crack could be heard, as the axe's blade slowly separated into two pieces.

"Bu-but, that was reinforced Bethelium," stammered Sano. "H-how did you did you do that." Shinta inspected his sword. Not a scratch. "My sword is made specifically for me. See the pink tint?" asked Shinta, pointing to the blade. "It's made of ruborium, the rose metal. Discovered on Sal Martees of the fourth vector in the Killium galaxy. The specific native materials can only be found there and cannot be reproduced. Ruborium is the hardest known metal, only shapeable by using incredible amounts of pressure. Did you think such a common metal as Bethelium even stood a chance?" He lifted an eyebrow at the defeated man. "Sanosuke, you have a fighter's spirit. Why did you degrade yourself by accepting such a job?" Sano looked uncomfortable. "I have to eat too and fighting's the only thing I'm good at."

Shinta sighed. "Yes, you've mentioned that. Sano, please, turn away from this idiocy. I cannot bear to watch another fighter humiliate himself." Sano nodded. "Heh, I guess your right. Without my Sakure, well, I'm just another street fighter. What would mom think of me now?" Sano picked up his shattered blade and sighed. "No, I'm going to go find some other job."

Yahiko started clapping after helping Kaoru to her feet. "That was sweet, you read-headed lunatic." Kaoru still looked unsteady but smiled. Sano began to walk away when he felt Shinta's hand on his shoulder. He turned around. "Eh, don't tell me. You want to press charges."

Shinta grinned. "You fought well. Won't you join us for some dinner?" Sano looked surprised but grinned back. "Well, that's mighty decent of you, considering that I tried to kill you." Kaoru looked shocked. "Shinta, you can't just invite an axe-swinging maniac into my house."

"Ah, but I can invite a little pickpocket? I don't think we have to worry about Sano anymore." Sano slapped Shinta on the back, nearly toppling him. "Heh, I wish my gambling buddies were trustful as you. Maybe then they wouldn't catch me cheating." He laughed gruffly and followed Shinta into the house.

* * *

Ruborium- not a real metal. Just the latin word for red with an -ium at the end.

Formless stance- sword held loosely and pointed at the ground, ready to be gripped and swung quickly at and hint of attack.

Do you think Shinta accepted Sano too quickly? If so, I'd probably have to redo the chapter. NEXT CHAPTER: Revealing of Shinta's past. I have it written out, but I have to pace myself. Don't want to bore my readers, eh?

I'm not introducing characters to fast, am I? That always makes a story seemed rushed and lacking proper forethought. Eh, just tell me what you think

-Razvanor


	6. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 6

**The bloody past is up. Ugh.

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**

**Chapter 6.**

Kaoru sighed softly as she put the last plate into the dishwasher. Sano had just left after eating most of the food, making horrible jokes, and generally being a nuisance, as usual. Nearly a week had passed since he had tried to kill Shinta and he had already become a regular part of her life. She didn't mind him that much, but she was racking up an enormous food bill. She sighed again. _Like throwing small pebbles into a well._

Yahiko had just started his training. She had him cleaning the house most of the time, usually because of a bout of name calling. He was a diligent pupil, though. She walked up to her room to grab a bathrobe. And Shinta. It had only been two weeks and he was already turning her life completely insane. He was very cheerful, diligent in his work, and his little philosophical discussions usually gave her something to chew on for the better part of a day. She was quite sure she had never met anyone like him before. And what had Sano called him? Man-cutter? Still wrapped up in her thoughts, she pushed the door of the bathroom open.

She stopped and stared. Shinta was standing in front of the mirror, staring at her wide-eyed. He was completely naked, except for a towel surrounding his waist. Kaoru gasped in embarrassment and quickly ran out of the bathroom. Slamming the door behind her, she heard Shinta utter a soft 'Oro'. Leaning against the door, she blushed. "Uh, sorry Shinta, I-I didn't mean to walk in on you."

Shinta's muffled chuckle reached her. "No harm done. But please knock next time. I'll be out in a minute."

Kaoru chided herself mentally. Suddenly she winced. Shinta's body had been covered in scars. Pink jagged lines and grey mutilated skin covered his body. Some looked old while others seemed recent. How many people had he fought before?

Shinta stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in some of his new clothes. Kaoru stared at him oddly. Shinta sighed. "You want to know about the scars." It was a statement, not a question. Kaoru nodded. Shinta nodded and led her by the elbow to his room. Sitting down on the bed, he looked at Kaoru levelly. Kaoru didn't say anything. "Tell me, how good are you at keeping secrets?" Shinta asked suddenly. He knotted his hands together.

The young girl looked surprised. "You're not a fugitive, are you?" Shinta shook his head and stared at the wall, his eyes distant. "No, I'm immortal."

Kaoru's eye twitched. "What are you talking about? You had better not be messing with me." Shinta stared at her sadly. His eyes suddenly seemed ancient. "I'm sure you've heard of the Lunar Colony Revolt, nearly three hundred years ago." Kaoru nodded. "Have you heard of one man in particular, The Berserker?" Again Kaoru nodded and lifted an eyebrow. "What are you implying? No one lives that long, even if they can heal themselves."

Shinta sighed and gave an order to his holo-screen. "Historical documents, Lunar revolt, The Berserker. Search." The screen beeped and pulled up an ancient hologram of The Berserker's face. It was exactly the same as Shinta's face. "That proves nothing. You could be a mod." (**mod- a person who alters their genetic makeup to look younger, look different, or for health reasons**.)

Shinta turned to the holo-screen again. "Historical documents, The American-Chinese War, Ragnarok's Son." The machine beeped again, pulling up a picture of Shinta again. Kaoru gasped. "That was eight hundred years ago."

Shinta continued. The Canadian Reformation War, the Third World War, the African-Israeli War, the Fall of the UN Disaster, Operation Desert Storm, Vietnam, the Second World War, the First World War, and the Japanese Meiji Restoration. One by one, Shinta pulled up names of each war's pivotal shadow assassin. Codenames ranged from the Flash Death, to the Man-cutter, to Battousai. Kaoru stared in shock. Shinta lowered his head. "It all started with the Meiji Restoration. My country, Japan, was in upheaval at the arrival of the Americans. I had been alive for more nearly eight hundred years before that." He looked sadly at the screen. "Long ago, I was given a gift, one of far too much responsibility and power. Long ago, it was foretold that I would be a killer, a warmonger. I was young and foolish, so I simply brushed off the prophecy." Shinta looked at the pictures of his face. The paintings were a little off, but the pictures had captured his essence.

"After I became an assassin, the guilt swept in. I lost my sanity and became an empty shell of the man I once was. I became a blood lusting monster." He kept his eyes down, afraid to look at Kaoru. "Slowly, I came back to my senses after the war was over. I swore never to go to battle again. I moved to the United States as soon as I could and fell in love with the country. Then the First World War came. I killed again. This time, I was not blessed with insanity." He continued to stare at the carpet. "Kaoru-dono, you have never felt guilt as I have felt it. It ate at me every time I looked at myself in the mirror, every time I lay down to sleep." A single tear trickled down his face. He didn't bother to wipe it.

"My comrades from the wars all looked at me as some type of hero." He clenched the bed's sides. "What sort of hero kills people? I tried to die. Oh, how I tried. I threw myself into the hardest missions without hesitation. I made sure I was on the front lines. I made sure that people would now my name so they would come looking for vengeance." He gritted his teeth. "I've been shot in my sleep, sliced to ribbons in battle, suffocated in deep space without a suit, and stabbed repeatedly. I've been hit by cars, fallen from high buildings, and thrown into the sea with rocks strapped to my body." He sighed and willed himself to let go of the bed. "Sano was wrong. Decapitation will not work. I was considered a freakin' Superman and I hated every minute of it."

He touched a hand to his cheek, where the round tipped scar was. "But then, something happened, and I saw the world in a whole new light. My eyes were finally opened to the true beauty of life. I then gave up war forever and resumed my wanderings." He looked at Kaoru. "This is the longest I've been anywhere since the last war, nearly three hundred years ago."

Kaoru had her eyes closed and was shuddering slightly. Shinta put his face in his hands. He shouldn't have said anything. No one should have to have heard that. He got up slowly, as if his age were affecting him. "Kaoru-dono, I'm sorry for having troubled you. I should go. People have obviously discovered I am staying here and will come after me. I have no wish of putting you in danger." He had entertained this thought for an entire week, but he had already become integrated within Kaoru's daily life. He did not wish to leave, but maybe if Kaoru rejected him, leaving would be easier. He grabbed his sword and the small amount of objects he owned. He walked to the door, but felt a tug on his shirt. He turned. Kaoru was scowling at him, her large blue eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"You jerk, I don't care about your past. All I care about is who you are now." Shinta stared at her, surprised. Where those tears for him? "Kaoru-dono," he said softly. "You should care about a person's past. Especially if their past is longer than several centuries." Kaoru hugged him suddenly **(sorry guys, it's only a friendly hug)**. "Friends don't let friends wander off, never to be seen again. Sorry, buddy, but you're staying here even if I have to tie you up and leave you in the basement."

Shinta chuckled and hugged her back. "That's quite a remedy. I suppose I could stay a while longer. But you never know when I might have to leave again." He glanced at the clock that the holo-screen displayed whenever it wasn't being used. Pulling himself out of the embrace, he smiled brightly. "You best shower up as I fix some supper."

Kaoru glared at him in mock anger. "No more of this angsty, depression stuff, right?" Shinta nodded, put his things on the floor and walked downstairs. Kaoru watched him leave and then went to take a shower. Pushing the door open, she saw Yahiko just barely pulling a towel around himself in time. "Aaaaa, what are you doing, hag?" He yelled bloody murder as Kaoru quickly closed the door.

* * *

I might not be able to submit another chapter tomorrow. That's the one with Jin-e (Is that how you spell it? I have to know by tomorrow.)

What did you think? I mainly only wrote about the more famous wars. And also, keep in mind that Kaoru found out about Kenshin's bloody past in the first episode, so I had to make him trust her.

As for the shower scenes, I couldn't help myself. In anime, it's always the guys that walk in on the girls. I twisted it (No kidding).

Overall, though, I don't really like this chapter. The dialogue was too clipped, fast, and annoying. However, it was crucial to the storyline for Kaoru to know about his past. Any suggestions on how to fix this is welcome. I appreciate it.


	7. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 7

Jin-e Time.

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**Chapter 7.**

Shinta whistled happily as he diligently scrubbed at a small spot on one of Kaoru's shirt sleeves. It had been nearly a month since he had arrived, and people were beginning to notice him. Neighbors whispered excitedly about the short man that plainly wore a sword. The police had begun to pester him about joining the force, seeing how often he brought in criminals. Shinta had calmly declined. He explained he already had a job.

Today, the washing machine broke unexpectedly. That was fine with Shinta. Technology and he never seemed to cooperate. More than once he had slashed computers, argued with a fax machine, and violently defaced cars that decided to break down on him. He found a cake of soap, a plastic tub, and a nice sunny spot outside. Glancing occasionally at the mountains, he sighed happily. A bird in a nearby tree tittered happily. The rough sound of alien insects hummed and buzzed around him. A soft breeze ruffled his bright-red ponytail. _"This is peace,"_ Kenshin thought briefly.

"Oy, Shinta, what are you doing?" Shinta grimaced as his peace was promptly shattered. "Ah, Sano, I haven't seen you for a bit. Kaoru-dono's washing machine is not working." He pulled out the shirt he was working on and snapped it, forcing any excess water off. He held it up proudly, displaying the now spotless sleeve. "What do you think?"

Sano looked at him as if he were insane. "That's great, but I didn't come over to admire your laundry." Shinta nodded knowingly. "Yes, lunch will be done shortly." Sano scowled at him. "No, idiot, I was hired today as a bodyguard and I wanted to tell you about it." Sano looked at Shinta worriedly. "Uh, Jou-chan isn't cooking, is she?"

Shinta nodded. "Yes she is, as a matter of fact." As if on cue, they heard loud cursing and a clatter of metal objects coming from the house. Sano winced before turning to Shinta, who had resumed his laundry. "Actually," Sano started slowly. "My employer heard about you and wanted me to extend you a job opportunity." Shinta said nothing, waiting for Sano to continue. "He said he'd pay you a lot of money if you would just guard him for one night." Shinta glanced at Sano quizzically. "I'm sure you've heard of the recent assassinations of top CEO's, right?" Shinta nodded slowly, and wiped the suds off of his hands.

Sano sighed. "The guy's afraid that he's next. He wants you to protect him. The assassin is good. The police can't lay a finger on him and he kills without hesitation."

Shinta looked up at the sky. Cloud chased cloud in the azure the heavens. "Sano, my days as a killer are over. I'm happy with my new life." Sano grunted and sat down in the soft, blue-tinged grass. He pulled on a long, fluff-tipped weed, which he promptly began to chew on. "Shinta, you have to think about those people who are dying. You have the power to do something, but if you don't, that means..."

"That their blood is on my hands," Shinta finished. "I know, I know. Fine, I'll talk with this man. But I will act as his body-guard only one night, understand?" Sano grinned, the weed hanging precariously from his mouth. "Great, now let's eat."

Lunch was a simple and unappealing affair. Coarse, hard bread and butter, slightly charred rice, some sort of strange beef stew that tasted suspiciously of shampoo, and some room temperature beverages. Shinta choked it down quietly, Sano complained loudly, and Yahiko wisely made himself a sandwich. As lunch finished, Shinta stood from the table and announced that Sano and he had some business to take care of.

Kaoru lifted a slender eyebrow at them. "Really? Can I come along."

"No!" Shinta and Sano said simultaneously. Kaoru gave them a strange look but said nothing.

They left quickly and made for the city. They meandered slowly past seedy looking vendors, high-end fashion stores a-glitter with fancy lights, cafes bursting with people that chatted amiably to each other, children playing in the streets, teenagers slouching and trying to look tough while hoping someone would comment on how tough they were, old women hobbling to and fro with their white canes, business men dressed in slick black suits who glanced at their watches often, and some where just people. Food smells of a dozen different restaurants floated past them as they walked. Warm bagels and pretzels, spicy hot dogs, greasy pizza, rich Italian, Chinese steamed rice, curry-laden Indian; they all made their way across the two fighters. Tall skyscrapers, sleek and shiny, towered over them at times, while low, brick apartments on filled the spaces between the massive structures.

Occasionally, the concrete and steel jungle revealed a little greenery here and there. Small parks teeming with children sprang up between buildings, their water fountains spewing water. Here and there, a hideous modern sculpture stood, their twisted metal limbs seemingly frozen in the act of a dancing. Massive oaks, maples, and alien species of trees stood regally along the dirt pathways. Small ponds filled with fish and docile alien creatures let the sunlight glint of its blue waters. Ducks and geese dabbed their beaks into the water, periodically bringing up fish and eating them with a snap.

Shinta sighed and grinned like a fool. This was life. Life and its creations was all around him, hidden among concrete and steel. The flow of life gave him a sense of ecstasy. This is what he had fought to protect. Life in all its glory never ceased to amaze him.

Sano noticed his blissful expression and nudged him. "What? Did you find money on the ground?" Shinta chuckled and ignored his question. "Tell me, Sano, what do you think of life? Do you believe that any one man has the right to take it from another?"

"Well," Sano shrugged. "I never really thought of it. I never liked to kill, but sometimes it was necessary to protect my own life." He smiled and looked down at the short man. "I believe that the lives of the masses should be protected with the blood of a few."

Shinta nodded. "I see. But what if the few that you killed were, in a cosmic sense, right in their actions and the masses were wrong in theirs? What then?"

Sano sighed. "Well, you can't bring someone back to life. Once someone is dead, they're dead. So, in the end, even if you are wrong, it doesn't matter anyway." He looked at the people that walked past them. "You just have to shoulder the guilt and move on." He looked up at a skyscraper and then at his hand, where he had written something. "We're here."

The building was excessively extravagant. The lobby floor was a type of marble, polished to a glaring sheen. The walls were covered in gold leaf in the form of gaudy relief carvings depicting high-powered business men. Large, plush chairs made of red leather were scattered here and there on enormous fluffy rugs sporting elaborate designs. The receptionist desk looked oddly small in the large foyer.

Shinta coughed slightly to gain the attention of the secretary, who was busy reading a dollar-store romance novel. Her head jerked up and gave them a thin-lipped smile. "And what can I do for you, gentlemen," she said, a tinge of disgust in her high, screechy voice. Shinta smiled brightly. "Oh, we are here to see if your benefactor would hire me to become one of his bodyguards."

The receptionist gave them each a clip allowing them access to the rest of the building. "Mr. Servage is on the top floor. Check with the security in front of the elevator." She waved them away and picked up the book again.

After checking with the security, they took a long trip to the top floor, listening to music that was now nearly thirty years old. Sano grimaced while Shinta simply tolerated it. The door gave a soft chime as they reached the floor. Shinta and Sano hurried out into a long hall, where tacky, but expensive décor seemed to reign over good taste. They pushed open two massive wooden doors and slowly walked into a room crowded with nearly twenty people, all sporting an array of weapons. A fat, greasy looking man sat cowering behind a large desk. Glancing up at the new arrivals, he cracked a smile and beckoned them to come forward.

"Well, well, I see Sano managed to bring you here, Mr. Himura. It's quite a pleasure, I'm sure."

Shinta tried hard to look for a reason to smile genuinely for the man, but he simply couldn't. The man looked low, as if he were a snake in the grass. Shifty eyes, sweaty hands, greasy hair; this man was not someone he could make friends with. Taking a swift glance at the papers on his desk, he saw a list of small business he intended to either buy out at a low price or force out of the way. Shinta grimaced inside. _"Disgusting."_

"Mr. Himura," said Servage. "I asked you to come because I've heard of you and your fighting powers. I am willing to give you fifty thousand uni-credits and the position of vice president to whoever can get rid of the assassin. I have given all these other men the same offer," he said sweeping a chubby hand around the room. "They're mercenaries, very good ones. I'm sure all of them and you can manage to bring down the man." He glanced at his holo-screen. Nearly five-thirty. "He said he'd be here at six, so make yourselves comfortable." With that, he went back to his desk to stare anxiously around.

One of the mercenaries walked up to Shinta and looked him up and down. He noticed the sword hilt and laughed loudly. "You call dat a weapon?" He pulled out a massive automatic rifle, complete with a sniper sight, a laser pointer, and a mini-missile add-on secured to the rifle's side. He looked at it proudly. "Now dis is a weapon, girly-man." He glanced at Sano. "And wot are you gonna do? Hit him with yer fists?" He laughed loudly again. "Dat I gotta see." He left, still chortling to himself. Shinta had to physically hold Sano back as the angry street fighter began to run after the arrogant man.

"Sano, such a fight would accomplish nothing." Sano slacked off and leaned against the wall. "That guys needs to be taught a lesson. Next you'll be telling me is that violence doesn't solve anything."

Shinta shook his head. "No, violence solves a lot of things, but it's never permanent unless you completely wipe out your opposition." Suddenly, the lights went out. All the men in the room turned toward the door as Servage yelled something about the assassin being early. For ten minutes, the men stood around watching the door. Servage's labored breathing was the only sound.

A creaking sound could be heard from somewhere. Suddenly, a wall burst inward, as a man stepped forward, something long and glowing in his right hand. He whistled softly, his face shrouded in shadow. "Well, looks as if I was expected." One of the men aimed a shot at him. The bullet veered suddenly as it approached the man and hit the wall behind him. All the men stared at him in horror. Except for Shinta, none of them had any other weapons. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Jin-e and I will be killing all of you heartlessly."

"A hundred thousand to whoever kills that man," yelled Servage.

Jin-e pressed a finger to his head. Shinta and the others were momentarily blinded. When his eyes refocused, he found that everyone in the room had stopped moving. He glanced at Sano, who was quivering slightly. Jin-e's whip-like object swiftly flashed through several people.

"Stop." Jin-e looked up and stared wide-eyed at the short red head. "Why aren't you frozen?" He raised his whip. It continued to glow. "No one can escape that."

Shinta drew his sword. "What did you do to these people? Answer me."

Jin-e smirked. "Prototype technology. It forces the person to think he is frozen by overwhelming the mind with suggestive brain-waves. You would have to be using nearly eighty percent of your brain to overcome it." Suddenly, his arrogance vanished. "But that would mean..."

Shinta sighed. He turned and stared at Sano for a second. Sano shivered and then began to move. As soon as he could, Sano stared around him. "I really don't want to do that again. It's like someone took my limbs away."

Jin-e looked confused. "What sort of freak are you?" He shrugged. "No matter. Besides experimental technology, I'm rather good with my plasma-whip."

"A fool that talks much will regret much." With that, Shinta charged, sword raised over his head. He gave a quick, sloppy slash, hoping to simply finish with the strange man. Surprisingly, Jin-e's whip solidified and blocked the maneuver. Then, he swung and grazed Shinta's side. The whip tore into his flesh easily, leaving behind a burned skin wound. Shinta grunted and changed his stance. Instead of simply trying to slash, Shinta swung low, then high, hoping to at least break a bone with the sword's blunt edge. He didn't connect, but caught a powerful punch to the jaw.

Jin-e grinned as the short man fell. This wasn't so bad. Too bad he had to finish it. From his side, he pulled a long, glittering rapier. The plasma-whip was too good for this man. He prepared to swing down and take off the man's head. He faltered.

Shinta was lying on the ground, his face jovial as he brought the sword's hilt into the man's stomach. Pushing the man away from him, he pulled himself off the floor. Jin-e coughed a little.

"I've tried being gentle, but you are trying my patience." Shinta's sword suddenly clicked as pressed the red pommel stone twice. The blade and hilt split precisely down the middle, revealing powerful clips that had held them together. Taking only one half, he pointed it at the man. "Pick up your sword."

Jin-e swiftly grabbed his sword and held it in a classic fencing stance. Shinta assumed a slightly different stance and flicked his half-sword at the other man's torso. Jin-e parried it and did like-wise. Soon, their blades began to flicker together as they snaked around, trying to find an opening. Jin-e was soon covered in minor cuts. He growled as he found himself being pushed back by Shinta's relentless attack. Backed against the wall, he finally felt fear. Raw, painful fear. Shinta thrust his sword into the man's shoulder, pinning him against the wall. Jin-e's rapier clattered to the floor as blood trickled from his wound. "Kill...me."

Shinta shook his head. "I won't kill for such a small reason as an assassination. The man probably deserves it, but neither you, nor I have that authority." He yanked his sword from the man's shoulder and wiped it clean of blood. Then, he gave the man a swift rap to the head, knocking him senseless. As he hit the ground, the people in the room began to stir. The mercenaries stared around, and finally let their eyes rest on the assassin. Shinta walked resolutely toward Servage. "I believe you said one hundred thousand uni-credits."

* * *

Wweeelll, what do you think. My reviewers said I had some problem with detail, so detail galore. I probably over did it though.

I thought the fight scene was a little sloppy. I can see it in my head, but it's a lot harder to describe. I could have had Shinta jumping off the ceiling and stuff, but I tweaked the story to much for him to have a really big battle with Jin-e. Aoshi, sure. Shishio, sure. Enishi, sure. But not a freakin' small fry like Jin-e. Also, I just might skip Raijutta (or something like that) completely, because he just doesn't feel all that important.

Yes, I changed that guy's name to Servage. I mean, they can't have all Japanese names. Besides, he's not important. And also, I forgot what his name was in the show. So sue me.

More on Jin-e next chapter. More Kaoru, definitely, not much Sano, not much Yahiko. And it'll be a whole lot shorter. And it might take a while. "Why?" you might ask. Well, it's because I have a life. Tough beans, guys.


	8. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.

* * *

****"Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red" **

**- (Act II, Scene II). Macbeth**

Shinta walked wearily back to Kaoru's small house. His clothes hung on him heavily, weighted down by sweat and blood. Weariness seemed to press him toward the ground. "What was it?" he mused out loud. _"What took so much out of me?"_

Sano had left him when they passed his rundown apartment. Now, Shinta was on the verge of collapsing. His bones and muscles did not ache. That man was hardly troublesome. No, it was something else. It was…mental. He nodded dazedly, acknowledging this thought. He hadn't used that much brain-power since heavens knows when. It had drained him of his usual mental processing. He couldn't think straight. Shinta stumbled, muttering sourly. He would have to begin to train his mind again if these sorts of fights were to become frequent.

He pushed on the wooden door in the stone wall that led to Kaoru's yard. It was locked. He jingled the door a little more. Cursing, he gathered his thoughts, and became translucent. Then, with a swift motion, he stepped through the closed oak door. His body solidified once he was on the other side. He grinned, amused by his own trick before turning toward the house. He squeaked in surprise.

On the porch, sitting in the two-person swinging chair, sat Kaoru and Yahiko, both staring at him with their mouths agape and eyes wide. "Sh-Shinta, did you just walk th-through a door?" stammered Kaoru. Yahiko recovered from his initial shock and got off the swing. "Whoa, can you teach me to do that?"

Shinta glanced around fugitively. "Kaoru-dono, um, what are you and Yahiko doing up?" Kaoru stood up as well, her hands on her hips. "Exactly how much aren't you telling us? Next you'll tell us you're the Grand Emissary of Mars in disguise."

Shinta held up his hands, and winced, trying to find a shadow he could hide in. "Um, nothing like that, I assure you. It's just that my mind is far more developed then yours." He clapped a hand over his mouth as Kaoru got in his face. "WHAT?!?!"

Shinta cowered. "I explain badly. Allow me to rephrase that." He looked at Yahiko, who was shivering in the slight breeze, his socks soaked because of dew. He turned to Kaoru. "Let me explain inside."

Kaoru nodded huffily and stomped back inside. Yahiko and Shinta followed suit after a moment of fearful hesitation. Kaoru was busy preparing some tea as they walked into the kitchen. "So, Shinta? Are you going to explain why you think I'm stupid?"

Shinta let his eyes wander to the stove, to the holographic clock, to the window, anywhere but Kaoru, who was setting tea on the table. "Kaoru-dono, you are not stupid. The fact of the matter is that I had nearly two thousand years to become more knowledgeable. I have memorized eighty-three different languages with their three hundred some dialects on the side. I have studied nearly all branches of math, from calculus to theoretical quantum formulas. I can collectively name eight thousand species of flora and fauna along with their scientific names. I can name all of histories more or less important events since the beginning of recorded history along with important key figures, members of these figures groups, and their family trees. I have mastered seventy-four different styles of kenjutsu, martial arts, and various sword-play techniques along with my own." He took a sip of tea, allowing it's warmth to flow down his throat. "Kaoru-dono, my mind is now working at nearly ninety-six percent. The average person, no matter how modded, can barelyuse even twenty percent."

Kaoru crossed her arms. "And how does that explain you walking through stuff?"

Shinta sat back in his chair, his tea held gingerly in his hand. "Simply put, I can will my molecules to vibrate around foreign molecules. I have to be careful, though. I tried walking through someone once and got their molecules confused with mine. That was a mess." He took another sip of tea and watched Kaoru sigh and sink into a chair. She stared at him intently before gasping.

"Your clothes, they're all bloody and torn. What have you been doing?" Shinta gulped. "You've been fighting again. And those are new clothes." She started to strangle him. "I don't have money to spare. You idiot, what were you thinking?"

Shinta made some gurgling sounds while Yahiko began to laugh. Suddenly, Kaoru's comptroller rang. Growling, she released Shinta and answered it. "Yes? Yeah, this is she…Uh-huh, he's here, hold on." She handed the phone to Shinta.

"Yes, this is Himura Shinta," he said brightly. Suddenly his eyes flashed emotion. It lasted only a second. Glancing at Kaoru, he smiled disarmingly.

"Yes," he said amicably, still smiling. "I understand. I'll be there." The comptroller gave a click and Shinta shut it swiftly.

"Who was that?" Kaoru asked innocently. Shinta continued to smile like an idiot. "Oh, no one important. Just some government pencil pushers who wanted to clear up some things." The lie came easily; he barely had to think about it. He stood up. "I'm a bit tired. Thank you for waiting for me." Kaoru and Yahiko watched him go.

"Man, that guy is weird," Yahiko said airily. "Well, I'm going to bed. G'night, hag." Kaoru let the insult go and made her way to her own room.

----

Shinta had long ago given up on sleeping. He didn't need it. His body simply healed his weariness, as with all other injuries. However, he long ago found that people who do not sleep are often questioned excessively. So, he gave the pretense of sleeping. He propped his broadblade against his shoulder, leaned against the wall, and let his mind wander. Beds were far too soft for his liking.

His mind's eye walked slowly through memories, each one as fresh and sharp as if it had taken place yesterday. The ravages of time were meaningless to him. Time was only a way that mortal men measured their mortality. It had nothing to do with him. It didn't touch him. It didn't even bother to try. He sighed and leaned his head back on the light blue wall behind him. He wondered what his life would have been like if he were normal. It was not the first time. Would he have died of old age? Would he have died in war? Would he have been reunited with his family? Would he have watched his siblings grow up? Would he have been plagued by such guilt? Would he have killed so many people? Would their sightless, dead eyes stare at him from just beyond his reach, accusing him of stealing away the life they had?

"_Every night is longer than the last," _he thought wistfully. _"Tomorrow, I will begin to train again. I have been far too out of practice."_

----

The next day was drizzly and dark. The sky was filled with purple-tinted clouds; their dark-underbellies dropping rain on the lush planet. Alien animals chirruped and croaked out in the darkness. People walked to and fro quickly in the light shower, intent on arriving at their destination. Raincoats were slick and made squeaking sounds as they people moved along. Umbrellas of various colors mushroomed from the crowds of people. Ground cars splashed water from beneath their wheels, gaining ill-tempered curses from pedestrians.

Shinta stared up at the sky from the porch, his eyes flickering now and then as they followed the occasional rain-drop that fell from the roof. _"Rain before a fight. Of course."_

Kaoru walked out of the house slowly and sat next to Shinta on the porch-swing. He didn't bother saying anything. Kaoru understood. They sat watching the rain for a while in silence. The small walkway from the wall door to the porch was slick with water, showing the clouds what they looked like. A stiff breeze, driven by the shower, blew the scent of rain over their faces.

Shinta stood up slowly, grabbing his sword. "I think I would like to take a walk, Kaoru-dono. I do not know when I will be back. Please do not wait up for me."

"Can I go with you?" Kaoru began to rise from the swing. Shinta shook his head. "No, stay here and train Yahiko." He smiled at her. "That is, if you can pull him away from his cartoons." With that said, he walked out into the rain, letting the water drench him. He didn't mind the rain anymore. Before he had become immortal, he had enjoyed walking through it. Now that he couldn't get sick, he enjoyed it even more.

Closing the outer wall door, he made his way to a river several miles down the road. The water giggled and burbled as it sped away to the sea. Raindrops were lost in the swift current, not even permitted to form ripples. He sighed and sat down on a damp log to watch the water. Jin-e had escaped from the police yesterday. Several men were killed before he eluded them in the maze of alleys and side-streets that made up the city. He had called to boast of his accomplishment after doing a little hacking in the government's mainframe to find out where Shinta lived. Now, he wanted a rematch.

Shinta stiffened and drew his sword. Kaoru gulped as the sword's point tickled her skin._"Never sneak up on a swordsman,"_she mentally told herself.Shinta looked surprised and sheathed his sword.

Kaoru smiled weakly. She hated rain. Her hair was plastered wetly to her face and her ponytail hung limply to her shirt. "Shinta, uh, why are you out here in the rain?"

Shinta watched the river. "I simply felt the urge to walk. I've never stayed in one place for so long."

Kaoru shook her head. "You can't be thinking of leaving. You have to stay with me for two years." She paused, fidgeting. "And besides, you have friends here who don't want to see you leave. You do consider us friends, right?"

Shinta smiled warmly. "Yes, the very best of friends." He looked back at the water. "But someday, I'll leave. I don't want to watch my friends grow old and die. I don't want to be the one to bury you."

Kaoru pulled something from her pocket. Taking his hand, she thrust a small ring into his hand. "That ring is very important to me," she explained nervously. "It was my mother's. This is your reason to stay. If you leave, you'll have to come back to give me the ring. Remember that."

"Kaoru-dono, I couldn't take…"

"No, shut up and take it. You better not leave, Himura Shinta."

Suddenly, a strong pair of arms encircled her waist and mouth and she could feel her feet leave the ground. She watched as Shinta steadily fell away in the distance, a piece of paper fluttering behind her. A dark cackle sounded above the noise of rain. "See ya later, Himura."

Shinta fell to the ground, watching as Jin-e flew farther away on a small hovercraft. He grabbed his sword and began to run after the swift vehicle. A small piece of paper fluttered down in the mud, before him. Stopping, he grabbed the paper and read the contents once before crushing the paper. Changing direction, he ran off, mud spraying from behind him.

---

Jin-e laughed sadistically, insanity tainting his voice. Finishing up a few more knots, he patted Kaoru's cheek, who was staring at him intensely. "My dear, don't worry. When your little boyfriend comes, your death will be short and swift. Nothing personal, you understand."

Kaoru made a muffled sound around the gag, straining towards him. Jin-e laughed. "Well, ain't you a feisty one."

"Yes, she is, isn't she?" Jin-e turned to look at Shinta, who was standing calmly in a formless stance.

"Ah, you're here. A lot swifter than I expected. You must really love your woman." He patted Kaoru's arm lightly before turning to Shinta, who was gripping his sword tightly. "You like my place?" He waved a hand around, indicating the massive warehouse. He was standing on a large rafter beam, where Kaoru was tied by her neck to the massive metal girder, her hands secured together with a pairof mechanized handcuffs.Below them was a nearly thirty foot fall to the concrete floor. Jumping lightly, Jin-e landed on his feet in front of Shinta.

"Well, my friend, tonight we will see who will die. Me or the both of you." Shinta mind raced furiously. Jin-e chuckled. "Himura, I'll bet you're wondering what exactly I plan on doing. Well, it's really simple." He suddenly whirled around, intoning a message to his implant and pressed a small button on a remote. The handcuffs fell away easily.Kaoru gasped asher hands sprang to her neckand began to strangle her. Shinta's eyes widened. "Now, it will probably take a few minutes for her to run out of air. To stop her, you would have to tear off her arms, because whenever she has her hands free, she'll try and strangle herself." He paused for a moment, letting Shinta know he wasn't joking. "Another way is to turn off the implant manually. Now, considering that it's in my skull, you would have to kill me." He pulled out his rapier and spun it gracefully. "I just don't see that happening, though."

Shinta's breathing was ragged and harsh. He suddenly howled and attacked. Rage consumed him. He felt his anger and wrath pound on the doors of his self-control, suddenly being unleashed to wreck havoc. Without any form of technique, Shinta slammed his sword toward the lunatic. Jin-e was able to block the blade, but Shinta continued pushing down on the slim rapier, trying to force the thin blade away to slash at the man. Jin-e stared in horror as he met Shinta's eyes. They were gone, hidden by blinding red light. Shinta grinned sadistically before pushing down harder on the rapier, snapping it. He shoved Jin-e against a crate, shattering the thick wood.

Kaoru watched in morbid fascination as Shinta suddenly discarded his sword and began to savagely beat her captor with his fists. He was going to kill Jin-e! She could feel herself beginning to slip into darkness. She struggled valiantly against the encroaching blackness at the edge of her eyesight. Her legs felt limp beneath her, her lungs cried out for air. Desperation swept through her as her mind began to numb. _"No, he's going to kill him, he's going to kill again." _"No!"

"NO! Shinta, don't kill him." Shinta's head shot up to where Kaoru was struggling with her restraints, her hands no longer around her bruised neck. Shocked, he released Jin-e, who hung limply in his clutch, also staring at Kaoru unbelievingly. Kaoru freed herself and ran to the ladder that led to the ground. Shinta turned his attention to Jin-e, who held gamely on to consciousness. "Looks as if your death is not necessary as you so thought."

Jin-e fell to his knees. "H-how did a-a young girl free herself of that." His hands found his shattered blade. "No, I won't accept it. I won't." Kaoru ran to Shinta, who swiftly hugged her to himself, shielding her eyes.

Jin-e gasped slightly as the thin blade pierced his heart. He fell backwards, smiling lightly. "No, I just won't accept it. Himura, don't look at me like that. If a simple girl could overcome such an obstacle, which I myself could not, then I deserve to die." He coughed blood. "I'll be watching, waiting for you to join me. I know all about you, Battousai…" His head fell back into his own blood, his eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling, glazing over in death.

Making sure that Kaoru didn't see the body, he picked her up and left the warehouse without a backward glance.

* * *

Woot! Blood. Yeah, this is why the fic is rated PG-13 (It ain't for cursing, I never curse, be it in a fic or real life). Anyway, it was raining a bit when I started writing this (It does that a little too often in Florida). That's why it's all drizzly in the fic. I tried to make it seem better than if it were pouring rain. 

Ah, well, the quote from Macbeth basically says that even if he washed his hands in the seas of the world, they would turn red with the blood on his hands. I don't know, it just seems relevant to what Shinta has to go through.

Jin-e mentioned that Kaoru could get over an obstacle he could not. He was referring to the fact that the technology had the same effect on him that it had on other, normal people that he couldn't shake. Kaoru basically humiliated him…bad.

Some detail, but I think I slacked off sufficiently since the last chapter. Eh, I'll work on it. I couldn't really think of an imaginative way to get Kaoru killed without the possibility of Shinta rescuing her. Really, I would have skipped Jin-e all together, but I thought it was important to show Shinta's insane side. And, yeah, I changed his eye color from amber to red. Get over it. Dark red is like my favorite color. Oh, and for the love of all that is written, review.


	9. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 9

I'll give you one guess on who I'm introducing in this chapter. Also, one of my reviewers mentioned getting a beta reader. How would I get one of those?

---

**Chapter 9.**

Kaoru shuddered fitfully in Shinta's arms as her eyes began to flutter open. She had passed out after leaving the warehouse. Whether from emotional exhaustion or mental exertion, Shinta had no idea. For a moment, Kaoru looked at Shinta blankly before recognition sparked in her eyes. Suddenly, she began to sob, burying her face in Shinta's shirt. Startled, he nearly lost his grip before tightening his arms around her.

"Hey, it's all right. He's not going to hurt you any more. Calm down." She nodded and sniffed a little. Looking up, she saw Shinta smile warmly. "It's over."

Kaoru nodded and grabbed his shirt tightly. "You scared me," she whispered softly. Shinta started, and then nodded. "I scare a lot of people, Kaoru-dono. I believe I will continue to do so. Your past is something that will never leave you, no matter what you do." He stared ahead bitterly. "You can't un-hurt someone, you can't un-say something, and you can't un-kill anyone. No matter if other people forgive you, no matter if you try and forget, your past is not something you can simply abandon."

"You were going to kill him," Kaoru said slowly. Shinta nodded, not meeting her eyes. "Yes, yes I was." He grinned widely. "But thankfully, you were there. Your voice was like a hard slap to the face."

Kaoru arched an eyebrow questioningly. "Was that an insult or a compliment?"

Shinta chuckled. "Treat it in the way it best suits you."

Kaoru smiled and leaned her head against Shinta's chest. She watched as the streetlights came and went, bathing them occasionally in their yellow glow. Trees stood like shadowy sentinels along the edge of the road, their dark leaves leaving a jagged edge along the lighter background of the sky. The weather was balmy and a warm breeze made the treetops danced gracefully. Shinta's steady heartbeat was slow and rhythmic, lulling her. It was so peaceful and quiet. Not even the usually noisy nocturnal animals called to each other in the night. Kaoru yawned and snuggled farther into Shinta's arms.

---

Kaoru opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Her mind floated between sleep and consciousness, as if deciding which one would be better. Sighing, she stretched before rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She smiled, feeling content. Lifting the corners of her sheet, she noticed she had slept in her day clothes. She never slept in her day clothes. She must have fallen asleep in Shinta's arms as they were walking home, she noted dully. _"He was so warm and soothing,"_ she thought. Suddenly she blushed before pushing herself out of bed, trying to force the thoughts to the back of her mind.

A glitter of blue caught her eye. Glancing down at her bedside table, she noticed the ring she had given Shinta earlier. It lay on top of a note. Cold fear grabbed her. _"Did he leave?"_ she thought fearfully as she reached for the note.

_**Kaoru-dono, **_

_**Sano and I went to the city for a bit. There is some miso soup and tea on the stove for you. Yahiko left a while ago to go work at a restaurant, so no need to worry about him. You're on your own for today, I guess. See you this evening.**_

_**-Shinta**_

_**P.S. No, I'm not leaving. Here's your ring back.**_

Kaoru sighed, before rereading Shinta's graceful handwriting. Grinning, she went to go get her breakfast.

---

Shinta groaned as he watched a small ball go around and around on a spinning disk. Sano watched it eagerly, a few dollars clutched in his hand.

"Sano, why did you drag me here? I don't gamble." Sano glanced at him briefly before looking back down at roulette. "Yer my good luck charm."

"What is that supposed to mean? Buy yourself a rabbit's foot or a horseshoe." The ball finally stopped in a small space. Sano whooped loudly and someone handed him a few bills. "See what I mean. You practically ooze luck, my friend. I intend to take advantage of that."

"Sano…" Shinta began before the doors to the gambling hall was thrown open violently. A beautiful young lady stopped in the door way glancing around wildly. She was thin, tall, and had perfect, black hair. Spotting Shinta, she looked at hissword before wildly throwing herself at his chest, hugging him tightly.

"Oro?"

Sano grumbled something about needing luck like Shinta's as the young women brought her bright red lips to Shinta's ear. "Help me, please."

Shinta nodded and pulled the roulette to cover her head. Three small, needled darts struck the wooden disk a second later. Pulling out his sword, he blocked two more darts while grasping the woman tightly. He swung his blade powerfully, slicing one of the ceiling's metal panels. A small man with two belts around his torso fell to the ground. The crowd of gamblers gasped and began to back away from the fight. The belts sported hundreds of small darts, two thin throwing knives, and a slim dagger used in hand-to-hand melee. The small man popped to his feet before pulling out the dagger.

Shinta shoved the woman into Sano's arms. "Here, hold this," he said swiftly. The small man suddenly grinned and lunged at Shinta. Sidestepping, Shinta allowed the man to pass harmlessly by before striking him a stinging blow on the back with the flat of his blade. He fell to the floor, hard. The little man rolled away suddenly and popped to his feet again, before pointing to the woman in Sano's arms. "Kanryuu will come for you again, Megumi. He will continue to come. You should have never left." With that, he threw a small pellet at the ground. Using the resulting smoke cloud, the little assassin disappeared.

The woman, whom the small man had called Megumi, pulled away from Sano's grasp. Pulling herself up slowly, she faced Shinta. Seductively, she slinked her way to his side, where she grabbed his elbow and looped her arm through his. Once again bringing her mouth to his ear, she smiled regally. "That was amazing," she cooed. "Thank you very much." She kissed his cheek lightly before pulling away.

Shinta didn't seem affected by the intimate gesture. "Who was that? Who is Kanryuu?"

Megumi pouted a little. "I managed to escape my…benefactor. He's obviously wants me back." She looked at the door, as if expecting more attackers to burst through. "I best be going. He'll find out about you and send people to kill you if I stay around to long." She glanced back at Shinta, who was staring at her firmly.

"You shall do no such thing. You should stay with me for a while if you are in danger. I can take care of myself." Megumi looked surprised. "But you don't even know me. Are you some sort of lecher?"

Sano chuckled roughly. "Shinta? A lecher? Heh, I can't even imagine him doing that. Nah, I'm a lecher." Megumi stared at him haughtily. "Thank you for the warning." She turned to Shinta, smiling brightly. "I guess I do need a place to stay."

Shinta grinned. "Fine, then it's settled. I just know you and Kaoru will get along famously."

---

"Shinta, who is she?" Kaoru asked huffily as Shinta walked in to the yard with Megumi clinging to his arm. Before Shinta could speak, Megumi put a hand to her mouth and laughed arrogantly. "So, you are Shin-san's employer? From his descriptions, I supposed you would be a woman." She paused, as if thinking. "Well, I guess, technically, tomboys are girls. You should probably get out of those sweaty rags if you want to even look half-way decent."

Kaoru looked down at her clothes. She had been training with Yahiko since he had returned from the restaurant. She was practically dripping sweat. She looked at Megumi sourly. "I'll have you know that I'm a very sought-after girl. At least I'm not flouncing around, hugging people's arms like I'm starving for attention."

Suddenly, the two girls began screaming vehemently at each other, each trying to match the other's tone and insult. Sano watched with a bemused expression on his face. "'They'll get along famously' you said. 'Kaoru will finally have another girl to talk to' you said." He snickered. "You're really bad at judging personality compatibility."

Shinta stood watching the exchange, horrified. "Sano, we have to stop them." Sano squinted. "Fine, spoil my fun." The two men stepped up and grabbed a woman each. Kaoru struggled against Shinta while Megumi stared angrily at Sano for stopping her fight. After calming to the two irate girls, they went inside.

Kaoru dragged Shinta into her room and turned on him angrily. "All right, you have quite a bit of explaining to do." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot expectantly. "Start talking."

Shinta nervously explained Megumi's plight quickly, hoping fervently that Kaoru would stay calm. Kaoru sighed softly before slouching and looking at the ground.

"Fine, she can stay. But she has to tell us everything. I won't be kept in the dark about anything." She glanced at Shinta. "That includes you. Don't even think about keeping stuff from me."

Shinta smiled and held up a hand, as if swearing. "No, I'm not keeping anything from you." _"Liar." _He almost touched his scarred cheek, but didn't. Kaoru grinned, satisfied. "Let's go downstairs. The little wench has a story to weave."

---

Megumi stared at the expectant faces nervously. "S-so, to stay here, I have to tell you everything?" Everyone seemed to nod simultaneously.

Kaoru held up a finger. "I don't want to get attacked in my sleep because you wanted to keep your deep, dark secrets to yourself."

"Yeah, spit it out, Kitsune. I'm not getting any younger." Sano leaned back, sucking on some Pocky. Yahiko couldn't have cared less as he helped himself to whatever food Kaoru had put on the table.

The old, antique clock ticked away in the living room, counting out seconds. Megumi's eyes darted around before she closed them. Sighing, she pulled out a rectangular, curved metal pad from her pocket. "Do you know what this is?"

Kaoru grabbed it. "It's a mod patch. Doctor's use them to help stabilize a person's DNA after mod surgery."

Shinta nodded. "So, that would make you a mod doctor? There is nothing wrong with that."

Sano suddenly grabbed the patch. "Hold on, this isn't right." He turned it over, examining it. "There's no company insignia. Those are required by law." He stopped and glanced up at Megumi, who was staring at the table, hard. "That means its custom made." He held it between his fingers, with a look of horror finding its way across his face. "This isn't a mod patch. This is a mod within itself. That's incredibly dangerous."

Kaoru twisted her face. "Why would that be dangerous?"

Shinta took the patch from Sano. "Custom patches restructure a person's DNA in a set way, regardless of the person's age, weight, height, metabolism, or the million other things that have to be taken into consideration. Many people die from customs because it overdoes the restructuring, their metabolisms are too slow to handle the patches' built in anesthetics, or because the patch builder has an ill intention in mind." Shinta stared at the patch, as if waiting for it to do something. "Megumi, what does this custom do?"

Megumi seemed to be sobbing. "Euphoria, ph-physical, an-and instinct p-procedures," was all she managed to choke out.

Sano and Shinta seemed shocked. Kaoru glanced around, bewildered. "What's that mean?"

Shinta let out a shaky breath. "Megumi, you must be a very talented mod doctor. How did you manage to fit all of that on one patch?"

"Hey," yelled Kaoru. "Answer me." Shinta nodded. "Euphoria, physical, and instinct procedures refer to a highly complex DNA restructuring. Physical attributes are changed, basic and animalistic instinct is forced over logical reasoning, and euphoria keeps the subject in a state of agitation caused by hallucinations. You basically reduce a person to a near animal state and give them drugs." At this Megumi sobbed and began to cry.

Shinta continued. "The person grows more powerful, reflexes and senses are heightened, their teeth and fingernails elongate and sharpen, and they lose control. The process is incredibly painful. And because the restructuring is so complex, it is also very unstable. As soon as the patch is removed, the subject could die easily due to cells rupturing." He turned to Megumi, who was sobbing uncontrollably. "Am I right?"

She nodded. "I-I w-was for-forced to cre-create them. K-K-Kanryuu thr-threatened the child-ren." Shinta put a comforting hand on her shoulders, rubbing her back. "Sano, put Megumi-dono in the spare bedroom. Keep an eye on her, for now."

Sano led Megumi to the room, her stifled hiccups sounding out occasionally. Kaoru sighed and pulled away from the table. She glanced at Shinta, who was staring at his empty tea cup intensely. "Shinta, what are you thinking about?"

He lifted his head, brushing carelessly at his red bangs. "I believe we should keep her here until this entire thing blows over." He put his cup down gently. "In the mean time, I think we should find her a legal job."

Kaoru nodded slowly, as if considering every angle of the proposition. She cleared her throat and held up a cautionary finger. "Just as long as she doesn't hang on you all the time."

"Does that bother you? Why do you mind?"

Kaoru's eyes widened as if startled by what she had said. Mentally, she kicked herself. Yahiko grinned. "So, hag, how does your foot taste?" He began to laugh at his own joke before Kaoru brought her fist down violently. Shinta simply smiled.

"Well, it certainly has been an eventful week as far. Is there any laundry to be done, Kaoru-dono?" He cocked his head, grinning like an idiot. Kaoru couldn't help but smile back. "Yes, there is a small pile. The washing machine doesn't work again, so use the tub." Shinta nodded, bowed, and walked from the room.

Kaoru sighed and let herself fall onto a small couch. Yahiko rolled his eyes and left the room to see what was on television. Kaoru dropped her face into her hands and growled. "Why in all the worlds did I say that? Does it really bother me that much?"

A rough chuckle startled her. Sano stood in the door way, hands in his pockets. "Let me guess. You're in love with immortal boy, eh? Well, if he could die, I guess it would make a good match." He flopped down next to her. "Little-Missy, let me tell you something important and don't you go and forget it." He pulled a metal toothpick from his pocket and stuck it between his teeth. "If you don't stand up for what you want, you'll never get it."

Kaoru glared at him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sano grunted and shifted in his seat. "If you really want to love someone, and you want to make things work, you have to stand up for yourself and get it assertively." He grinned. "Life ain't gonna throw you roses all the time. If you want something to happened, _you_ have to work on it. Don't expect Mister Happy-Go-Lucky to do anything. I have a feeling that he's hiding something about his past and doesn't want to tell us." He put a finger to his cheek and tapped it. "Like how he got that funny looking scar. That was caused by one thing only. A dagger. But how did a dagger get close enough to him to even touch him if he had a sword?"

Kaoru looked at him baffled. "It could have been caused in his child-hood, couldn't it?"

Sano shook his head. "No, from what I gathered, he's been yielding a blade since he was a tot. Also, it looks too fresh to be from that long ago." He grinned happily, proud of his shrewd analysis. "Another thing, when he thinks people aren't looking, he touches it, as if remembering something big. He gets that real far away look, like he's staring through the walls."

Kaoru shrugged. "So, his past doesn't concern us. That's his business."

Sano poked her head lightly. "Kaoru, think. If he opens up to you, you'll make headway. Then, steal his heart. Make him want you like you want him." He rolled his teeth over the toothpick, making a slight clacking sound. "Then see what happens."

"But he's immortal. He's never going to die. He'll stay young and I'll leave him alone in the world."

Sano shrugged. "Love makes people do things they normally couldn't. If you want it to happen, with all your heart, then it will happen." He stood up and stretched. "Well, that's about all the advice I have."

Kaoru watched him leave and groaned. "I'm so pathetic; I'm taking love advice from a former street-fighter."

---

Yep, yep, Megumi is a doctor, but she's more cosmetic than illness oriented. Mod patches are cool. I just decided to make them up. A bit of a background, people will buy mod patches for different reasons. Mainly, they will buy them illegally for the drug like effect they induce. Also, custom patches can splice the DNA (as was explained), making for the ultimate disguise, fashion statement, or whatever other reason. Even though they are incredibly dangerous, they're hard to track, especially custom patches. The government can't put tracking devices on them because people expect that and destroy the trackers. And the animalistic people could have used a legal surgery or a custom pad. Again, no way to track them.

Megumi's pretty much the same, along with Shinta, Yahiko, and Kaoru. But, I did tweak Sano's character a little. In the show, he acts sort of stupid at times. I got rid of that. He may be irresponsible, but he has wisdom to rival Aoshi. Alrighty then, I take my leave.


	10. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

**The tears of a stranger are only water. - Old Russian Proverb**

**Ah, but the tears of a loved one have all the power of the mighty ocean. - Me

* * *

**

Kaoru stared up at the dark ceiling of her bedroom, an arm over her forehead. She sighed. Try as she might, sleep would not come. Her feet were tangled in the thick comforter, her hands twisting her sheets. Wrestling her way out of the tangled cloth, she sat on the side of the bed, listening to her own breathing. Grunting, she picked herself up and walked to the hallway.

Careful not to wake Yahiko, Kaoru tiptoed past his room. Loud snoring could clearly be heard, the noise shaking the door slightly. Snickering silently, she walked on, pausing in front of Shinta's door. She stopped, listening for breathing.

Nothing, not even the rustle of clothes. Kaoru slowly eased the door open to find the room deserted. She began to panic, until she saw his small satchel by the wall. Sighing in relief, she walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Pouring herself a glass of water, the young girl leaned against the counter and sipped at the cool liquid.

Slowly, Kaoru became aware of soft singing. Curious, she slowly walked over to the front door, which lay slightly ajar. Opening the door a bit further, she noiselessly stepped out onto the porch. The wood was cold on her bare feet, making her gasp lightly. Glancing around, she saw Shinta sitting down on the porch staring at the moon. His back was to her, and he didn't seem to notice her. He sang a low, mournful song, his voice rising and falling expertly:

_Look for me at dawning, when the world still lays asleep, _

_Till each dewdrop is kissed by day._

'_Neath the pines and rowans my vigil I'll keep,_

_Every moment you're away. _

_-_

_The worlds slowly turn as the seasons change slowly,_

_All flowers and leaves born to wane,_

_Hear my song o'er the lea, like the wind soft and lowly,_

_Oh please come back to my arms again._

_-_

_While the moon slowly slumbers, 'neath the stars I'll weep,_

_For you so long ago, left me behind._

_Memories are slowly fading, those I dearly wish to keep,_

_Our love was so deeply intertwined. _

He let the last note hang softly in the air. "Kaoru-dono, you should be asleep," Shinta spoke without turning, his voice thick with emotion.

Kaoru seemed surprised for a moment. She looked down at the wooden slats of the porch. "I-I couldn't sleep."

Shinta slowly stood slowly, his back still turned towards her. "I am very sorry if my singing woke you."

Kaoru looked up sharply. "N-no, it wasn't that." She paused for a moment, as if deciding what to say. "That was a beautiful song. Where did you learn it?"

"At a funeral."

Shinta slowly turned, his face streaked with tears. A sad smile had slowly worked across his face. "It was a long time ago, Kaoru-dono. Perhaps I should have moved on centuries ago, but…" He trailed off as he turned his head to look at the stars. They glittered down happily at him.

Kaoru took a tentative step forward. "No." Shinta looked at her quizzically as Kaoru continued. "No, you should never forget a loved one." She took another step towards him. "I know what it's like. We all have to experience Death, whether it is our own or someone we love." Another step. "It's not something we can avoid."

Shinta squeezed his eyes closed, his voice low. "I can, and continue to avoid it." A single tear followed the trail another had left. Kaoru stopped in front of him and touched his arm. His eyes snapped open suddenly to find Kaoru staring at him softly. Without warning, she pulled him into a hug. "Cry, Shinta. There is no shame in tears."

Shinta chuckled sadly before pulling away. Tears were still falling quickly, landing with small noises on the porch. "Kaoru," he whispered softly. "I am afraid it is not going to work." He stepped back, his face downcast. "Forgo the pain and forget your love for me. I cannot have you."

Kaoru's eyes flickered over his face, mouth agape. "I-I was trying to comfort you, that's all." She was glad that the night shadows covered the blush on her cheeks. Shinta wiped his eyes once, clearing his vision. "Ah, but there was love in that embrace. And, as I said, I cannot have you."

Kaoru could feel her heart contract in pain. She felt like crying right where she stood. Sano's voice suddenly cut through her mind. _"Love makes people do things they normally couldn't. If you want it to happen, with all your heart, then it will happen."_

A sudden smile seemed to spread uncontrollably over her face. "Well, I guess I should've expected that answer. But, no harm done. I'm a rather stubborn girl and I can handle myself."

Shinta seemed to be surprised. "Well, it would appear that I have underestimated your strength of character greatly. I am glad we see eye to eye."

Kaoru giggled suddenly. "No, I don't think you understand. When I said I would take care of myself, I didn't say I was giving up." Shinta lifted an eyebrow. "Um, Kaoru-dono, I am afraid that this nut is a bit tough to crack." His voice seemed sad.

The raven-haired girl just nodded. "I know. But remember, even a big rock can be worn away with lots of water. Good-night." She turned on her heel and walked into the house. Shinta simply stared at the spot she had been in a moment before. Chuckling he glanced at the stars again. "Well, she is nothing like…" He traced his finger over the scar. Sighing, he sat down on the porch swing to wait for morning.

* * *

Hmm, incredibly mushy. It's like I'm writing a romance novel. Eh, it's necessary to show different aspects of the developing couple. Anyway, the song above is actually from a book, Brian Jaque's "Martin the Warrior". I tweaked it and added the extra stanza at the end from my own li'l head. I had to put little lines between them to keep the stanzas apart though. 

Actually, in a way, I like this chapter. I know that Kaoru is sort of…Misao-ish in this chapter, I guess you might say. But, I had to. After all, Kenshin had to go through some (inferred, but you all ready know what it is) horrible stuff. Next chapter, I'll bring in the Oniwabanshuu. I'm not going to give the Oniwaban any names, because they all die anyway. So what's the point of writing down all their complicated names? I'm not even going to bother. I might even bring Misao in prematurely, but maybe not. We'll see. That is, if "The West's Running Blade" story doesn't take up all my time.

And, (need I even say it), review.


	11. The Tolling Bell: Chapter 11

**Chapter 11.**

Dingle!

The antique false gold bell rang as Kaoru pushed open the door to a brightly lit room. A few people sitting in the plush sofas around the room glanced at her briefly before returning to their month-old magazines. The tight looking receptionist forced a smile while fidgeting with her hard, grey hair bun. Kaoru smiled as well before turning around and pulling a very nervous looking Megumi through the door. Yanking the mod doctor after her, Kaoru walked up to the tight woman and smiled again.

"Hi, Megumi here has an appointment for with the doctor to look over her credentials. Are we on time?"

The receptionist didn't answer. Glancing at a mini holo-screen on her desk, she squinted a bit before sighing and pulling a pair of some decrepit glasses. "Takani, right?" She wasted no breath, Kaoru noticed.

Megumi nodded as she seemed to pull herself into her usual, regal self. "Yes, Megumi Takani. I have all my paperwork and..."

"Who's she?" the tight woman interrupted, jabbing a crooked finger at Kaoru. "Is she applying as well?"

"No," Kaoru waved a hand. "Just her. I'll wait out here." She then promptly sat down next to a stranger and grabbed a random magazine.

The receptionist nodded and ushered Megumi toward a door. She sighed and fumbled to pull out her portfolio. "Well, here's hoping." Megumi stepped through the door.

* * *

"I got a job, I got a job!"

Sano jerked into consciousness and glared around to try and find the person who would dare disturb his nap. Suddenly, a flurry of white clothes and jet-black hair streamed into the house, flapping and fluttering everywhere. It took Sano several seconds to realize who it was.

"Oy, Kitsune, ya mind keepin' it down."

Megumi stopped running. "Shut up, rooster boy. I'm having a happy moment right now." She suddenly bolted for the door before stopping and turning around. "Where's Shin-san? I have to tell him the good news."

Sano snorted out a laugh. "Yeah, it's good news all right. You'll actually be doing something instead of annoying everyone to death and doing nothing around the house."

Megumi sniffed haughtily. "Funny, I thought you did the same thing. I guess the only difference is that you aren't currently employed."

Sano growled low. "Shinta's in the woods out back. I guess he's keeping himself fresh or something by training." He waved a hand airily as he repositioned himself on the couch to continue his nap. "Good luck finding him though."

* * *

Megumi groaned in frustration as she wandered the twisting forest path. She'd been walking for twenty minutes and not head nor hair of the swordsman could be found. Alien and Terran flora and fauna came and went, blending into a cacophony of light, color, and noise. The occasional sounds made the mod doctor perk up and listen, hoping for the sounds of training. When it turned out to be nothing, she once again continued walking angrily.

Glancing once again out into the thick foliage, she suddenly felt a hand clamp onto her shoulder and mouth. Megumi let out a terrified squeak as she was pulled off the path and into a clearing. Her assailant threw her without warning to the ground in a clearing flecked with spots of sunlight.

Megumi glanced around fearfully for a moment before noticing a pair of black shoes before her.

"Hello, my pretty little run-away bird." A high, grating voice befitting a monkey spoke liquidly. "What made you think I was done with you, hmm?"

Without warning, the boot lifted and kicked her in the side. Megumi gasped painfully. "K-Kanryuu." She slowly looked up, clutching her side.

A thin, sly looking young man stood before her, smiling wickedly. He clapped his hands, as if applauding her. The dark suit he wore ruffled with every clap. "Wonderful deduction. Yes, I know what you are thinking." He nodded his head in mock sympathy. "'Oh, the evil man has come to take me back to that evil place to make evil things.'" He chuckled. "No, I'm just going to give you an ultimatum."

Kanryuu suddenly turned to the line of trees. "Aoshi, come here."

A tall, handsome man seemed to materialize from the trees. Ice blue eyes hid beneath dark black bangs. His mouth was a straight line, stoic and serious. Broad shoulders covered with a heavy trench coat betrayed powerful muscles. A short blade's hilt barely peeked out from the coat.

Kanryuu snickered. "You know Aoshi, of course. Well, I've given Aoshi instructions to…'take care' of your new family tonight if you don't come back."

Megumi looked horrified, and Kanryuu noticed. "I see I'm getting through to you. Good, good." He turned toward the woods and began to walk away, a stolid Aoshi following apathetically behind him. "I'll be seeing you soon."

Megumi shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut. "Not again. Please, not again."

She began to cry.

* * *

Shinta watched silently from between some tree branches. Sano balanced beside him, gritting his teeth. Giving a quick flick of his finger, Shinta urged his friend to follow him. The two swiftly made it home, not even breathing hard.

Sano leaned against the house wall, his face still creased in anger. His teeth made a furious clacking sound as he rolled his teeth over his metal toothpick. "I don't believe this. And she just settled in too." He cursed lightly, slamming a fist into the wall.

Shinta sighed. "We could take care of ourselves, but we have to take care of this little problem. Otherwise, Kanryuu would simply try again and again."

Sano grunted. "So, what do you want to do? Storm his mansion?"

Shinta held up a hand. "She is returning. Possibly to pack. I'm not sure where exactly we should be going, but let's follow her at a distance." Suddenly, he groaned. "Kaoru will want to know what is going on. You follow her and I will find Kaoru. Call me, I have Kaoru's extra cell." He tapped his ear, where a small device beeped as it turned on. Then, suddenly, he was gone, nothing but a small cloud of dust wafting back down to earth.

Sano hid as well, as Megumi came out of the undergrowth, still scrubbing at her eyes. Composing herself, she forced a small smile and headed into the house. Sano watched her the entire time.

* * *

Megumi thanked the taxi driver and stood from the car, only her medical bag at her side. She looked up at the imposing, modern mansion, complete with metallic spires and twisted walls. She felt like crying again at the familiar sight. The gates of the outer wall opened suddenly, revealing an enormous mountain of a man, scars peeking out from the collar of his thick shirt. He grinned and chuckled in a deep voice.

"Hello, Megumi. Come back with your tail between your legs, eh?" He chuckled again. "Let's go, Mr. Kanryuu is waiting in the dining hall."

"Hold on."

The two turned swiftly to see Sano standing there, breathing a bit heavily. "Hold on, Megumi. You just leave without saying good-bye? That's not very friendly."

Megumi's eyes were wide in horror. "Sano! Run you idiot. They'll kill you! Please, leave."

Sano smirked. "Not very confident in my abilities are you?" His face hardened. "Let's go home. We'll deal with whatever comes our way. You don't have to go back."

The man mountain began to laugh. "Go home yourself, punk. I have a job to do and you certainly ain't stopping me."

Sano simply cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, so it's like that, hmm?" He pulled a large metal mace from behind his back. A short, leather-bound metal handle led up to a solid metal ball with glistening spikes extending menacingly from the metal skin. "Have it your way." He swung powerfully.

Sano simply moved. A large crater formed where Sano had been standing. Grunting in frustration, the man swung again. Another crater. Sano suddenly charged, but was swept back the man's large arm. The fighter rag-dolled on the ground, his limbs flailing every which way. Megumi gasped in horror.

"Too easy." The man pulled off his shirt, revealing his mechanical right arm. Gripping the mace in his left hand, he stomped his way over to the still form. A muscular hand gripped Sano's neck and began to throttle him. "Quite the idiot, ain't ya. You don't fight people stronger than yourself."

Sano's grinned as he stared straight at the large man. "Yeah, you'll have to remember that." Seemingly unaffected by the pressure applied to his neck, he swung a fist out, catching the mace between the spikes. The sudden, incredible pressure of the blow shattered the metal easily, sending shrapnel flying everywhere. A particularly large piece of metal cut into the man's chest. Grunting, he simply applied more pressure on Sano's neck. This time, Sano felt it. Gasping and struggling, his legs flailing in the air, Sano managed to kick the man in the stomach. Nothing. Not even a wince.

The man brought Sano close to his face, their noses nearly touching. "You moron. Thought you could take on a member of the revered Oniwabanshuu, eh? Stupid kid, get over your petty cockiness and I might just let you live." He tightened his grip.

Sano's eyes bulged as he tilted his head back, gagging as if trying to clear his throat. Then, without warning, he slammed his head into the massive man's forehead. Sano was dropped instantly as the man brought both hands to his head and grunted. Acting swiftly, Sano swept his legs acrobatically under the large man, tripping him. The large fighter began to fall forward, directly on top of Sano. Opening his palms, Sano threw both hands powerfully into the falling man's chest, throwing him backward several feet until his flight was arrested by the thick metal of the outer wall. He sighed, before slumping, out cold.

Sano stood wearily to his feet, rubbing his bruised neck. "Wasn't that fun," he hissed at the unconscious man sarcastically. He shot a smirk at Megumi, only to see her swept up by a man wearing a semi-opaque glass mask. He moved swiftly, bounding powerfully over the wall and into the domain beyond. Sano didn't even have time to shout.

* * *

Shinta ran up, followed closely by a worried Kaoru and an excited Yahiko. "Where is she?"

Sano glanced up from where he was sitting, besides the still unconscious fighter. He gritted his teeth, his eyes flaring. "They took her."

Shinta yanked out his broadblade without warning. The sound the blade made was sickeningly unnerving as his face hardened into an indignant frown. "Then we shall retrieve her." Again, without warning, he jammed the tip of his sword into the large metal door's hinge crack along the edge, and tore forcefully downward. Snapping could be heard as hinges were sliced swiftly through. A swift kick granted them access into the outer gardens of the mansion.

Click! Clack! Click! Click!

Shinta found himself staring down nearly fifty guns, all trained at his head. "Seems we have been expected." He split his sword and charged recklessly. Sano also joined the fray, thoroughly enjoying himself. Within a matter of minutes, fifty men lay groaning or out cold on the ground, bruises beginning to form. Kaoru and Yahiko blinked.

Shinta looked around before snapping his sword back together and glancing at Sano, who was grinning like a fool. "Shall we?"

Sano bowed mockingly. "Of course."

The tall man with the glass mask watched calmly as the entrance double doors were burst forcefully through. Sano and Kenshin walked through, still being tailed by Kaoru and Yahiko. The man bowed and flexed his muscles. "Welcome." Sparking claws burst suddenly from his gloved hands. The man trained a masked eye on them. "I shall be your first opponent."

* * *

Oooh, all evil dude, that Hannya. Finally got a chapter out for you. Didn't get it double-checked, though. I thought I'd put it up right away (Sorry Lynn).

Sorry I've been so lazy as of late. Besides starting two Teen Titans fics, I've been reading Post's "These Black Eyes" and "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time". If you have a chance, check them out. They're both incredibly long and it will take you forever, but is sure is worth it.

Next chapter will be the ending to this little Oniwabanshuu arc. I have some interesting ideas for Aoshi, ninja of the future. Smirk. You'll just have to wait for it though.

Razvanor


End file.
